Deildartunguhver Hot Spring
Deildartunguhver Hot Spring
Iceland’s largest hot spring belches out 180 liters of water per second, at 97°C.
Walking around the hot spring area you'll see where the water gushes out of the rock at several different spots at different levels of intensity.
The water is harnessed to heat greenhouses on the site - sometimes tomatoes grown here are offered for sale.
The water is also piped to heat the towns of Akranes, 64km away, and Borgarnes, 34km away.
The site is open to the public year-round – needless to say, both the water and steam are scalding hot and random splashes extend beyond the safety barrier.
Visitors should be careful, especially those with children.
Hot spring areas such as Deildartunguhver are known as low-temperature areas.
They produce only hot water, where the temperature at a depth of 1000m inside the earth's crust is measured at less than 150 degrees Celsius.
Some amazing algae are found in and around Iceland's hot springs. Some species of algae can tolerate temperatures of over 70 degrees Celsius, and survive in the extreme alkaline and acidic conditions found in geothermal areas.