Recorded September 6, 2008.
Geysir in the Haukadalur valley, Iceland, is the oldest known geyser. The English word geyser to describe a spouting hot spring derives from Geysir (which itself is derived from the Icelandic verb gjósa meaning to erupt). Eruptions at Geysir can hurl boiling water up to 60 metres in the air. However, eruptions may be infrequent, and have in the past stopped altogether for years at a time. The oldest accounts of a geyser at Haukadalur date back to 1294. Earthquakes in the area caused significant changes in local neighbouring landscape creating several new hot springs. Changes in the activity of the Geysir and the surrounding geysers are strongly related to earthquake activity. In records dated 1630 the geysers erupted so violently that the valley around them trembled.
The nearby geyser Strokkur, the one seen in this video, erupts much more frequently than Geysir, erupting to heights of up to 20 metres every five minutes or so. Strokkur's activity has also been affected by earthquakes, although to a lesser extent than the Great Geysir. There are around thirty much smaller geysers and hot pools in the area, including one called Litli Geysir.