Wonder
Cisolok Geysers and Hot Springs
In short
The best known geysers of Indonesia are found among Cisolok Hot Springs. Here are located three – four geysers, spouting hot water up to 5 m high.
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In detail
Hot river
Hot springs in the bed of a small stream and on the banks of it are found over the distance of some 400 meters. Hot water has deposited sinter and travertine along the banks of the stream.
Here are six large springs – the most powerful one is spewing 35 l of hot water per second. Several springs are located below the level of the river. Some though have deposited a cone of sediments and are rising above the stream and are spouting the water up to 4 – 5 m high.
Water temperature in the springs is 90 – 100 °C – and often it is above the temperature of boiling. The temperature of the river before the springs is approximately 28°C – after the mixing with hot springs the river is some 34 °C warm.
Volcanic heat
Geochemical investigations show that the heat is coming from the nearby Gunung Halimun or Salak volcanoes. Hot springs have existed here for more than 10 000 years.
The temperature of water in depth here is between 160 – 200 °C. Mineralogical analysis shows that in the past Cisolok springs were warmer – in the depth water was heated up to 220 °C.
Resort
In this area is well felt a smell of H2S. Sulphurous water is believed to have curative properties and over the last decades around Cisolok Hot Springs is developing a small resort – although in reality there is little sulphur in hot springs. Everyone can see the geysers for free and walk in the warm river, but there are made also some pools, where one should pay for bathing.
References
- Niniek Rina Herdianita, Wulandari Mandradewi. Evolution of Cisolok – Cisukarame Geothermal System, West Java – Indonesia, Based on Its Surface Manifestation. Proceedings of World Geothermal Congress 2010. Bali, Indonesia, 25-29 April 2010. Accessed on May 30, 2011
Linked articles
Wonders of Indonesia
Indonesia is a true land of wonders. There are few other countries in the world that can offer a similar array of diverse, unique, and beautiful natural and cultural monuments.
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 Asia
Any other continent (and part of the world) seems small if compared to Asia. This refers also to natural and man-made heritage: in Asia are not just thousands of great landmarks, there are found landmarks created by thousands of diverse cultures from ancient Phoenicians to the mysterious small people in the Philippines and eastern islands of Indonesia.
Recommended books
Geysers: What they are and How They Work
In Geysers: What They Are and How They Work, T. Scott Bryan explains the geological setting that produces the pressure, heat, and abundant water necessary for a geyser to form and introduces readers to the variables that shape each geyser’s distinct personality. Some geysers spout just inches above a pool of water and others blast hundreds of feet in the air from conical vents. Some remain quiet for decades only to explode unexpectedly several times in a single month while others regularly erupt at scheduled intervals.
Ring of Fire: An Indonesia Odyssey
Based on the Emmy award-winning documentary series of the same name, Ring of Fire is a first-person account of the adventures of two English brothers as they explore the astonishingly rich cultures of the Indonesian islands.