150 An ACCOUNT of 



growing on its banks were covered with beautiful incruftations. 

 Some of thefe we wifhed to preferve, but from their extreme 

 delicacy they fell into pieces on every attempt to remove them. 



The fituation of the new Geyzer * is in the fame line from 

 the foot of the hill with the great Geyzer. Its pipe is formed 

 with equal regularity, and is fix feet in diameter, and forty-fix 

 feet ten inches in depth. It does not open into a bafon, but it 

 is nearly furrounded by a rim or wall two feet high. After 

 each eruption, the pipe is emptied, and the water returns gra- 

 dually into it, as into that of the old Geyzer. During three 

 hours nearly that the pipe is filling, the partial eruptions hap- 

 pen feldom, and do not rife very high ; but the water boils the 

 whole time, and often with great violence. The temperature 

 of the waters after one of thefe eruptions, was conftantly found 

 to be 212°. Few incruftations are formed round this fpring, 

 excepting in the channel where the water flows from it. 



The great eruption is not preceded by any noife, like that 

 of the great Geyzer. The water boils fuddenly, or is heaved 

 over the fides of the pipe ; then fubfiding a little, it burfts into 

 the air with inconceivable violence. The column of water re- 

 mains entire, until it reaches its extreme height, where it is 

 fhivered into the fined: particles. Its direction was perpendicu- 

 lar, and greateft elevation 132 feet. Like the eruption of the 

 old Geyzer, this confifted of feveral jets, fucceeding each other 



with 



* Before the month of June 1789, the year I vifited Iceland, this fpring had not 

 played with any great degree of violence, at lead for a considerable time. (Indeed the 

 formation of the pipe will not allow us to fuppofe, that its eruptions had at no former 

 period been violent.) But in the month of June, this quarter of Iceland had fuffered 

 fome very fevere (hocks of an earthquake ; and it is not unlikely, that many of the ca- 

 vities communicating with the bottom of the pipe, had been then enlarged, and nevr 

 fourcesof water opened into them. The difference between the eruptions of this foun- 

 tain, andthofe of the great Geyzer, may be accounted for from the circumftance of their 

 being no bafon over the pipe of the firft, in which any water can be contained to inter- 

 rupt the column as it rifes. I mould here ftate, that we could not difcover any corre- 

 spondence between the eruptions of the different fprings. 



