World 🢖 North America 🢖 United States 🢖 Alaska
Geysers 🢔 Geothermal features 🢔 Geological wonders 🢔 Categories of wonders
Wonder
Mount Recheshnoi Geyser field, Umnak
In short
Alaska has many places with interesting geothermal features but only one has true geysers – Mount Recheshnoi Geyser field on Umnak Island.
43.3%
GPS coordinates
Location, address
Height
Number of geysers
Number of fountains
Map of the site
If you see this after your page is loaded completely, leafletJS files are missing.
In detail
History
Hot springs in this location were first mentioned in written sources by a Baltic geologist of Dutch descent Constantin von Grewingk in 1850. Local Aleuts for sure knew about these geysers much longer.
More thorough research took place in 1947, 1980, and 1988.
Location
All geysers are located in a wide valley at the foot of Mount Recheshnoi volcano. This valley has been formed by a glacier and now there flows a stream – Geyser Creek.
Geothermal energy is provided by the plume of magma under Mount Recheshnoi. Water below the ground level is superheated – it is considered that the temperature of steam deep under the ground exceeds 265 °C.
Hydrothermal features are spread along the Geyser Creek and its tributaries over an area of 4 km².
Geysers are found in three locations: site G (53.213328° -168.468362°), site H 1 km to the east (53.211382° -168.452679°) and site J 470 m to the south (53.209769° -168.472033°). (2)
Here are found not just geysers but also natural fountains, boiling (effervescent) springs, and mud pools.
As it is usual in most geyser fields in the world, as time goes, the number of active geysers is changing.
One characteristic though makes the geysers of Umnak unique – the water of these hot springs contains much boron and arsenic.
Site G
In this site in 1947 were reported 1 geyser and 1 fountain. In 1980 there were 4 geysers. In 1988 there was 1 geyser and 6 fountains, which were up to 30 cm high.
The geyser in 1988 represented a water-filled bowl of sinter. Every 12 minutes it erupted 0.2 m high. Back in 1870, it was 0.6 m tall.
Site H
Here in 1947 were 3 geysers, in 1980 – 3 geysers and 1 fountain, in 1988 – 3 geysers and 3 fountains. One of the fountains in 1988 was up to 0.7 m tall – this same fountain in 1947 was a geyser, which erupted every 2.5 – 3.5 minutes.
One geyser in 1988 was up to 2 m high, another one – 0.5 m high.
Site J
Here at a smaller creek has formed several geothermal features. In 1947 this location has not been mentioned, in 1980 there was 1 geyser. In 1988 there was found 1 geyser – a small pool, where approximately once per hour were emitted gases and increased water flow.
References
- Christopher J.Nye, Roman J. Motyka, Donald L. Turner, Shirley A.Liss. Geology and Geochemistry of the Geyser Bight Geothermal Area, Umnak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. 1990.
- F.M. & Brannock, W.W. Byers, Volcanic Activity on Umnak and Great Sitkin Islands, 1946 – 1948.
Images
- Rachel Imrie’s Blog, accessed on May 4, 2012.
Linked articles
Wonders of Alaska
This far northern land is very diverse and its landscape is spectacular. Alaska though is not very rich with separate, specific landmarks – this is a land that brings a very special emotional experience as a whole. Singling out some specific landmarks here feels somehow out of place: Alaska is magnificent with its wast glaciers, supertall mountains, numerous active volcanoes, endless forests, and deep canyons.
Geysers
Hasty hydrogeologists would say: geysers are thermodynamically and hydrodynamically unstable hot springs. “Normal” people would say – geysers are hot springs that at more or less regular intervals shoot up a fountain of boiling water and steam. Sometimes these fountains are even 100 m tall… or even 450 m!
Wonders of the United States
The United States of America is one of the largest countries in the world and offers a wide array of diverse attractions: many are unsurpassed in the world. Highlights of the United States are cliffs, canyons, and rock formations, several impressive downtowns of cities with numerous skyscrapers as well as a rich array of geothermal features, and the giant forest of California.
Recommended books
Umnak: The People Remember: An Aleutian History
An Aleutian history compiled by Tyler M. Schlung and students of the Nikolski School, Umnak Island, Alaska.
Aerial Geology
Aerial Geology is an up-in-the-sky exploration of North America’s 100 most spectacular geological formations. Crisscrossing the continent from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to the Great Salt Lake in Utah and to the Chicxulub Crater in Mexico, Mary Caperton Morton brings you on a fantastic tour, sharing aerial and satellite photography, explanations on how each site was formed, and details on what makes each landform noteworthy.