Wonders of the Earth: the Strokkur Geyser

Journal of my visit to the Strokkur Geyser in Iceland.

Iceland. It is a beautiful summer evening as I take a walk through the geyser field in the south-west part of the country, east of Reykjavík. The air is full of the smell of bad eggs. Small pools of water - some are bright blue, others having the color of silver - do cover the countryside where here and there pipes of steam come up from little holes between the rocks.
After a short walk I see the base of the Strokkur geyser*. Outbursts will be seen from a very short distance at this place. The other good thing is that the Strokkur geyser has a clear time-table: about every four or five minutes a fountain of heated water will burst into the air.
The start of the rhythm is a calm pool of water, twisting and turning a bit, but overall in a condition of rest. There is the sound of water in motion, flowing against to the edges. So far no attempt of any outburst. The first sign is the uplift of water, slowly making its way out of the pool. It goes up and down for a while, stretching out a little further with every wave it makes. Once it looks like that the ball of water is about to blow, the level of the water goes down again. It is a physical process, a play between the forces deep down inside the earth.
After all the necessary burst comes in a surprise. All of a sudden the water is pushed out of the spring, like a fountain, up to a hundred feet high. In less than a second the sky is full of water and steam, a rain shower blowing away in direction of the wind. After a short while there is a stop and the water is draining back into the pool.
I keep the Strokkur geyser company for about twenty minutes. To my delight I am able to see four outbursts. The view of this natural event is by far the most beautiful wonder of the earth I have ever seen in my life.

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* geyser - a natural spring that regularly sends out fountain-like bursts of heated water and steam into the air.

Author's Note

This story is written in Basic English, as designed by Charles K Ogden in 1930.