Egyptian Magic Land

White desert
A main geographic attraction of Farafra is its White Desert (known as Sahara El Beyda, with the word Sahara meaning a desert). The White Desert of Egypt is located 45 km (28 mi) north of the town of Farafra. The desert has a white, cream color and has massive chalk rock formations that have been created as a result of occasional sandstorm in the area. 

My visit to white desert

white desert location map

 In the remote past, the White Desert was a sea-bed, the sedimentary layers of rock formed by marine fauna when the ocean dried up. Later a habitat for many roaming herds of elephant, giraffe, gazelle and other animals, the desert would have been a savannah with lush green areas and lakes full of fish, an ideal hunting ground for pre-historic man. The landscape we see today was formed  by the plateau breaking down, leaving harder rock shapes standing while the softer parts are eroded away by wind and sand. In some parts the chalk surface still has the appearance of delicate wind-ruffled waves on water.

white desert surface layar

The valley is flat and is interrupted only by a few isolated standing conical hills. The soil is blown with sand. It can be here but in places some minerals such as pyrite and marcasite (iron disulfide are both, but with different crystal form), especially in the north of the valley in the area of ? Ain Bischw?. The materials have been but never mined in mines.

The soil is blown with sand

white desert structure 

Formed by centuries of erosion and sandstorms, these unique calcium rock formations crop up across the landscape like great abstract statues. Some that resemble food have been given names like “mushroom” and “ice-cream cone,” while others have inspired more grandiose designations, such as “the Monolith” and “Inselberg.”
Arguably the most characteristic of these peculiar natural formations is the famed “chicken and tree” set, also called “chicken and mushroom,” or, better yet, “chicken and atomic bomb.” Only in The White Desert will you encounter such a bizarre and awe-inspiring natural museum of chalk-rock.

ice cream cones

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

Tour by a camel

A natural wonder of Egypt, the White Desert is now a protectorate, known as the White Desert Park, where designated routes must be followed when driving in 4WD vehicles. The outer parts nearest the road are known as the Old Desert and can be reached in a normal vehicle.

car's road 

Many people opt to spend a night camping in the desert with Bedouin guides, where they can observe the changing faces of chickens and mushrooms and monoliths as the bright sun of the afternoon sinks into a shadowy dusk. As the sun goes down, the calcium sea seems to reflect all the fuchsias and oranges of the sky. And while any night under the stars of the Western Desert is an experience not soon forgotten, the lucky few that catch a full moon will witness the desert giving off a ghostly, iridescent glow.

sunset in the white desert

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Deltas Style

Deltas

Deltas are the result of interacting fluvial (river) and, usually, marine systems.  However, they can form anywhere a stream flows into shallower open water.

Nile Delta

Whence the name Delta?  Delta was coined by Herodotus (the father of history, 484-425 BC) after the Greek letter delta because of the deltoid-shape at the mouth of the Nile.

Delta definition:  Coastal accumulations, both subaqueous and subaerial, of river-derived sediments adjacent to, or in close proximity to, the source stream, including the deposits that have been secondarily molded by various marine agents, such as waves, currents, or tides.
Deltas occur throughout the world, except at the poles (see slides).  They all have three characteristics in common:
1.  The presence of a large catchment, or drainage, basin (the area where all run-off water drains to the river).  The top 30 river deltas all have catchment basins in excess of 1,000,000 sq km.
2.  They all are at the mouth of large river systems that carry large quantities of clastic sediments (soils or portions of rocks that have been moved by water from where they formed).

3.  They are not near geologically active coastlines.  In order to have a large catchment basin, a very complex tributary system is necessary.  These long, complex systems take a long time to develop, so they are very rarely situated on tectonically active coasts.

Parts of a Delta
A delta is comprised of four distinct regions: the subaqueous, subaerial, lower delta plain and upper delta plain.
Subaqueous – This is the portion of the delta that remains below the low tide mark. It is comprised of very fine silt that decreases in size the further away from the mouth of the river you get.
Subaerial – This area is above the low tide mark and consists of various sized sand and rock that is constantly in flux due to the actions of the tidal force.
Lower Delta Plain – This is where the river water flows into the larger body of water. Silt deposit formations are subject to both river current and tidal forces.

Upper Delta Plain – This is the starting point of the delta, and the silt here consists of the largest particles. There is relatively little impact from the large body of water or its forces here.

TYPES OF DELTAS:

1.  Arcuate (fan-shaped) delta  Nile River.  Has many active, short distributaries taking sediment to their mouths.  The receiving (ambient) waters are rather shallow and have relatively even wave action arriving perpendicular to the shore with minimal longshore current.  As the sediment exits the many distributary mouths, the waves push it back, so the coastline is rather smooth.

Delta forming

Delta anatomy

Nile river delta

small scale delta

Nile river delta

 Bird-foot (shaped like a bird foot) delta Mississippi River.  Tend to have one or a very few major distributaries near their mouths.  The receiving basin has currents that carry the sediment away as it exits the distributary mouth.  There is a broad, shallow shelf that deepens abruptly, so the trend is to grow long and thin like a bird's toe.

Mississippi delta map

Sacramento Delta at flood stage

satellite image for foot bird delta

Delta Life Cycle

A delta will either eventually reach a state of equilibrium between river deposits and tidal forces or will enter a cycle of progradation and transgression in which it grows and recedes based on the cyclical nature of the river system (i.e. floods, spring river runs, etc.).
Stagnate – This is the term for a delta that has reached equilibrium.

Prograde – A prograde delta is one in which the depositing of silt outweighs the tidal force dragging it away. These deltas grow outward into the large body of water until equilibrium is achieved.

Aggrade – An aggradation occurs when the delta starts to accumulate biomass. This can be from plant growth or from the collection of decaying organic material collected from the tides. These deltas grow upwards instead of outwards.

Transgression – A delta in transgression is receding from the sea. The tidal force is stronger than the river and thus pulls away more silt than is being deposited.

Where a river delta begins and where it ends are always approximations. To determine what is a river delta and what is not would require consistent monitoring of silt deposits. Because this is impractical, the area that is considered the beginning of a delta usually is determined by the coastline surrounding the river while the end of the delta is determined by the reach of the sediment deposits at low tide.


Of course, these are just estimates and the lower delta plain almost always extends past the low tide region, but there is no way to determine where it ends and the sea floor begins. There is simply a transitional area. In any case, the important thing is that the river delta is a transitional space between the river and the larger body of water.

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Furious Ocean

Tsunami
A tsunami  is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, generally an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations of underwater nuclear devices), landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami.
Tsunami waves do not resemble normal sea waves, because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide, and for this reason they are often referred to as tidal waves. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves with periods ranging from minutes to hours, arriving in a so-called "wave train". Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous and they can affect entire ocean basins.

Furious Ocean

Causes of Tsunami

Tsunami are huge ocean waves caused by natural forces like underwater earthquakes. Tsunami are caused when the forces of these phenomena rapidly displace large amounts of water.
 Most tsunami occur when there is an earthquake or volcanic eruption in the sea or ocean. This is caused when there are plate boundaries that are meeting in plate tectonics processes. This will cause shock waves to be radiated out of the epicenter. This natural event will cause a rise or fall of the seabed. This will create a wave deep in the ocean (or less frequently in other large body of water).
 Tsunami can also be caused by landslides, such as a cliff-side of a mountain near shore that falls into a large body of water or ocean.
 Powerful bombs, like nuclear bombs, are tested, dropped, or detonated in the sea or ocean and can cause shock waves to be radiated out that move the ocean waters in waves as described above.
 The also occur when large asteroids fall into the water. This is extremely rare, and the asteroids must be very large to cause a large water displacement to form a tsunami wave. But they are known to have occurred. Meteorites will not cause high waves as they are usually much smaller than asteroids by the time they have been burned in the atmosphere on the way to the surface.

How Earthquakes Cause Tsunamis

The illustration below shows a subduction earthquake (one where a denser plates shifts below its neighboring plate, at left). Energy is transferred and the displaced water forms a wave. As the wave travels and enters shallower water in the coastal area, it begins to increase in amplitude

Tsunamis are not always colossal waves when they come into the shore. In fact, "... most tsunamis do not result in giant breaking waves (like normal surf waves at the beach that curl over as they approach shore). Rather, they come in much like very strong and very fast tides (i.e., a rapid, local rise in sea level). Nevertheless, there is destruction of life and of property by floating debris and impact of water. The tsunami produces a series of rushing waves and also a series of withdrawals.

If you think about throwing a rock in water, a ripple is formed. It is the same principle involving a meteor or an earthquake, except they form bigger ripples. If you think about that ripple, it seems to disappear as time goes on--but in actuality, it does not stop. In the picture below we can see that a tsunami is very fast (the speed often compared with that of a jet) and it has a height of 20 inches.

However, we need to take into consideration the effect of the tsunami reaching the shore. The speed is diminished but the wave height is increased drastically.

How Volcanoes Cause Tsunamis

There are two different ways that volcanoes can cause seismic waves. One possibility is for a land-based volcano to break down and collapse, forcing large amounts of ash and debris into the water. This sudden change and displacement of the water column transfers to kinetic energy and results in waves. More debris can create a bigger increase in wave amplitude and number.

Tsunamis can also be induced by submarine volcanoes. These underwater volcanoes can collapse downwards or spew forth lava heating the surrounding water quickly.

Undersea landslides and land sliding into the sea

Undersea landslides and land sliding into the sea may cause localised tsunami. Undersea landslides occur when a large amount of sediment is dislodged from the seafloor, displacing a water column and potentially generating tsunami. Land sliding into the sea, usually caused by an earthquake, may also cause destructive local tsunami.

A landslide into Lituya Bay, Alaska, in 1958 caused a localised tsunami. The bare areas around the lake side in this image indicate where the trees were stripped away by the tsunami.

Distribution of Tsunami

An average of 85% of all tsunamis have been observed in the Pacific Ocean in the "Ring of Fire. the distribution of tsunamis in the world's oceans and seas:

History of Tsunami

As early as 426 BC the Greek historian Thucydides inquired in his book History of the Peloponnesian War about the causes of tsunami, and was the first to argue that ocean earthquakes must be the cause.
The cause, of this phenomenon must be sought in the earthquake. At the point where its shock has been the most violent the sea is driven back, and suddenly recoiling with redoubled force, causes the inundation. Without an earthquake I do not see how such an accident could happen.The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus (Res Gestae 26.10.15-19) described the typical sequence of a tsunami, including an incipient earthquake, the sudden retreat of the sea and a following gigantic wave, after the 365 AD tsunami devastated Alexandria.

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Monster Wake up

Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius (Italian: Monte Vesuvio, Latin: Mons Vesuvius) is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes which form the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuvius consists of a large cone partially encircled by the steep rim of a summit caldera caused by the collapse of an earlier and originally much higher structure.
Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the burying and destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. That eruption ejected a cloud of stones, ash and fumes to a height of 20.5 miles, spewing molten rock and pulverized pumice at the rate of 1.5 million tons per second, ultimately releasing a hundred thousand times the thermal energy released by the Hiroshima bombing. An estimated 16,000 people died due to hydrothermal pyroclastic flows. The only surviving eyewitness account of the event consists of two letters by Pliny the Younger to the historian Tacitus.
Vesuvius has erupted many times since and is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. Today, it is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people living nearby and its tendency towards explosive (Plinian) eruptions. It is the most densely populated volcanic region in the world.

Nozzle of Mount Vesuvius

   Map showing the location of Mount Vesuvius on the west coast of Italy.

Mount Vesuvius: Plate Tectonic Setting

 Vesuvius is part of the Campanian volcanic arc, a line of volcanoes that formed over a subduction zone created by the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates. This subduction zone stretches the length of the Italian peninsula, and is also the source of other volcanoes like Mount Etna, the Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei), Vulcano, and Stromboli. Under Vesuvius, the lower part of the subducting slab has torn and detached from the upper part to form what is called a "slab window". This makes Vesuvius' rocks slightly different chemically from the rocks erupted from the other Campanian volcanoes.

Mount Vesuvius: Plate Tectonic Setting

Mount Vesuvius: Eruption History

Mount Vesuvius has experienced eight major eruptions in the last 17,000 years. The 79 AD eruption is one of the most well known ancient eruptions in the world, and may have killed more than 16,000 people. Ash, mud and rocks from this eruption buried the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pompeii is famous for the casts the hot ash formed around victims of the eruptions. The unfortunate people suffocated on ash in the air, which then covered them and preserved amazing details of their clothing and faces. 

 Starting in 1631, Vesuvius entered a period of steady volcanic activity, including lava flows and eruptions of ash and mud. Violent eruptions in the late 1700s, 1800s and early 1900s created more fissures, lava flows, and ash-and-gas explosions. These damaged or destroyed many towns around the volcano, and sometimes killed people; the eruption of 1906 had more than 100 casualties. The most recent eruption was in 1944 during World War II. It caused major problems for the newly-arrived Allied forces in Italy when ash and rocks from the eruption destroyed planes and forced evacuations at a nearby airbase.

Mount Vesuvius Eruption 1944

victims of the eruptions

 Expected Future  for Mount Vesuvius
When one thinks about Vesuvius volcano today, one aspect is eminent: due to the dense population surrounding it, and ever climbing higher and higher up on its slopes, it is certainly among Earth's most dangerous volcanoes. It is estimated that ore than 500,000 people live in the zone immediately threatened by a future eruption. When this happens is not known; it is possible that Vesuvius has entered into one of its typically century-long lasting phases of dormancy, but volcanoes can be unpredictable. The situation in the Gulf of Naples is further complicated by the presence of another highly active, and potentially as dangerous volcano: the Campi Flegrei, located immediately under a large part of the modern city of Naples proper.

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Geysers and Hot springs,Wonders of Geology

Hot Springs

A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.
The water issuing from a hot spring is heated by geothermal heat, i.e., heat from the Earth's mantle. In general, the temperature of rocks within the earth increases with depth. The rate of temperature increase with depth is known as the geothermal gradient. If water percolates deeply enough into the crust, it will be heated as it comes into contact with hot rocks. The water from hot springs in non-volcanic areas is heated in this manner.

Grand Prismatic Spring 

In active volcanic zones such as Yellowstone National Park, water may be heated by coming into contact with magma (molten rock). The high temperature gradient near magma may cause water to be heated enough that it boils or becomes superheated. If the water becomes so hot that it builds steam pressure and erupts in a jet above the surface of the Earth, it is called a geyser. If the water only reaches the surface in the form of steam, it is called a fumarole. If the water is mixed with mud and clay, it is called a mud pot.
Note that hot springs in volcanic areas are often at or near the boiling point. People have been seriously burned and even killed by accidentally or intentionally entering these springs.

Warm springs are sometimes the result of hot and cold springs mixing but may also occur outside of volcanic areas, such as Warm Springs, Georgia (frequented for its therapeutic effects by paraplegic U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who built the Little White House there).
Geysers and hot springs are natural features resulting when ground water is heated by geothermal forces and brought to the surface. They provide a spectacular sight of boiling water eruptions, vivid colors and strange formations. However, for the hot spring aficionado, the greatest pleasure comes not from just looking at the spring, but from getting into the water for its therapeutic powers. 

Hot springs are the areas where water is constantly boiling inside a hole or heated pond. While Geyser is a hole where water is always rising into the air and then rising up again.  Geysers   Geysers are hot springs with constrictions in their plumbing, usually near the surface, that prevent water from circulating freely to the surface where heat would escape. The deepest circulating water can exceed the surface boiling point (199°F/93°C). Surrounding pressure also increases with depth, much as it does with depth in the ocean. Increased pressure exerted by the enormous weight of the overlying water prevents the water from boiling. As the water rises, steam forms. Bubbling upward, the steam expands as it nears the top of the water column. At a critical point, the confined bubbles actually lift the water above, causing the geyser to splash or overflow. This decreases pressure on the system, and violent boiling results. Tremendous amounts of steam force water out of the vent, and an eruption begins. Water is expelled faster than it can enter the geyser's plumbing system, and the heat and pressure gradually decrease. The eruption stops when the water reservoir is depleted or when the system cools.   Gaysers    Geysers are some of the most unusual geologic phenomena in the world. They are incredible natural fountains that can shoot boiling hot water and steam hundreds of feet into the sky in violent eruptions. While most geyser eruptions last only a few minutes, some last for days. Some geysers almost never stop. Others erupt violently, then stay dormant for years or even decades. While geysers are rare (there are less than 700 known geysers in the world) they are not impossible for the average person to observe. They exist on every continent in the world, except Antarctica. The premiere place to see geysers, however, is Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Yellowstone is home to more than half of all the geysers on planet Earth. Technically the U.S. Geological Survey defines a geyser as: A hot spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accomplished by a vapor phase. What makes a geyser act the way it does? In order for a geyser to exist, there are four specific conditions that must be met. First, there must be an abundant supply of surface water over a long period of time. It is estimated that Yellowstone's geysers discharge a staggering seventy-million gallons of water a day. The water a geyser ejects comes from snow and rain. When precipitation hits the ground, most of it runs off into rivers and streams. A small portion, perhaps five percent, soaks into the ground. Moving slowly through tiny cracks it finds its way into the underground tunnels that make up the plumbing of a geyser, then is shot to the surface during an eruption. Travel from the surface down through the rock and out through a geyser eruption can take 500 years. Water we see today shooting out of geysers fell from the sky in the time of Columbus.  Secondly, there must be a volcanic heat source. All geyser field sites are above recently active volcanic areas. The surface water works its way down to a depth of around 7,000 feet where it meets up with hot rocks. The water is heated up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit or more, but cannot turn into steam because of the pressure it is under. Though the water is hot and under pressure it would never be ejected from geysers with such tremendous force if it were not for the special quality of the rocks in the geyser fields. The rocks produce a material called geyserite. Geyserite, which is the third necessary condition, is mostly silicon dioxide, is dissolved from the rocks and deposited on the walls of the geyser's plumbing system and on the surface around the geyser. The deposits make the channels carrying the water up to the surface pressure-tight. This allows the pressure to be carried all the way to the top and not be leaked out into the loose gravel, soil or sand that are normally under the geyser fields.  The final condition needed to produce a geyser is a plumbing system below it with a special shape. All springs must have a set of channels below them that allow water to flow to the surface. In a geyser there must be a constriction at some point near the top. The water sitting in this narrow spot acts as a valve or lid that allows pressure to build up in the water below. When enough pressure builds up to overcome the constriction, the geyser erupts. The need for the right combination of conditions: abundant water, volcanic heat, geyserite and a special underground shape, are why geysers are so rare. If there is heat, but not enough water a fumarole appears. A fumarole is a steam vent. There is so little water in this type of hot spring that while coming to the surface it boils away, and all that you see is a hole in the ground with steam coming out of it, often accompanied by a roaring or rushing sound. Fumaroles often have the smell of "rotten eggs" because small amounts of hydrogen sulfide get mixed in with the steam. A fumarole that comes up in a wet surface area can become a mud pot. As the steam bubbles up through the water, the hydrogen coming up with the steam reacts with the water to form sulfuric acid. This melts the surrounding rock to turn the water into a muddy clay. Mud pots bubble and can throw lumps of clay for some distance when they are active. fumarole The Most Famous Gysers and Hotspring around world   They provide a spectacular sight of boiling water eruptions, vivid colors and strange formations. However, for the hot spring aficionado, the greatest pleasure comes not from just looking at the spring, but from getting into the water for its therapeutic powers.  Beppu   Is one of Japan’s most famous hot spring resorts with the largest volume of hot water in the world apart from Yellowstone in the United States and the largest number of hot spring sources in Japan. Beppu contains 9 nine spectacular hot springs, which are sometimes referred to as the “nine hells of Beppu”, and are for viewing rather than bathing. The most photogenic of the nine hells is the “Blood Pond Hell” featuring a pond of hot, red water.  Rincón de la Vieja     Rincón de la Vieja is an active volcano in north-western Costa Rica. Its name means “The Old Woman’s Corner”, a reference to a local legend about a girl whose lover was thrown into the crater by her father. The last serious eruption was in 1983. Large number of hot springs and areas of bubbling mud are found on the slopes of the volcano. The mud has minerals and medicinal properties used in cosmetology.  Valley of Geysers   Situated on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, the Valley of Geysers is the second largest geyser field in the world. The Valley of Geysers was discovered in 1941 by local scientist Tatyana Ustinova. Since then it became a popular tourist attraction in Kamchatka. The Valley of Geysers has suffered significantly from a landslide in 2007 which buried about half of all geysers. Nevertheless, the Valley is still alive and attracts a lot of interest from scientists and tourists. El Tatio       Is a famous geyser field situated within the Andes Mountains of northern Chile at a height of 4,300 meters (13,780 feet). The climatic conditions and high altitude make the geyser field one of the most extreme environments on Earth. With over 80 active geysers, El Tatio is also the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere and the third largest field in the world. Despite the icy cold weather many visitors take a dip in the hot springs.  Rotorua     Sits on the shores of Lake Rotorua of New Zealand. It is known as the thermal wonderland of New Zealand. There are numerous geysers and hot springs in and around the city. Many of these are in parks and reserves. Natural eruptions of steam, hot water and mud occasionally occur in new locations. Nearby Wai-O-Tapu has many famous hot springs noted for their colourful appearance, in addition to the Lady Knox Geyser.  Huanglong  Huanglong (Yellow Dragon Mountain ) is an area in central China known for its colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snowcapped peaks, hot springs and waterfalls. Huanglong is also home to many endangered species including the famous Giant Panda. Pearl Boiling Lake, a hot, medical, mineral spring with a temperature of at 21°C is located at the south part of Huanglong. The best time of year to visit the terraced limestone ponds is September and October when blue, yellow, white and green ponds can be seen.  Geysers of Haukadalur   I  s a valley that contains the largest and most famous Geysers in Iceland, including Geysir and Strokkur. Geysir is the earliest geyser known to Europeans and gave rise to the word Geyser. Eruptions at Geysir can hurl boiling water up to 70 meters in the air. Eruptions may be infrequent however, and have in the past stopped altogether for years at a time. At the moment Geysir erupts around 3 times per day. Strokkur, which is less than 50 meters from Geysir erupts every 10 minutes or so.  Pamukkale  Pamukkale, meaning “cotton castle” in Turkish, is an unreal landscape famous for its white terraces. The terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water with a very high mineral content from the hot springs. People have bathed in its pools for thousands of years and continue to be one of top attractions in Turkey. The ancient Greek city of Hierapolis was built on top of the hot springs by the kings of Pergamon. The ruins of the baths, temples and other Greek monuments can be seen at the site.  Jigokudani Monkey Park    Is a famous hot spring area near Nagano, Japan. The name Jigokudani (meaning “Hell’s Valley”), is due to steam and boiling water that bubbles out the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs and formidably cold and hostile forests. It is famous for its large population of wild Snow Monkeys that go to the valley during the winter when snow covers the park. The monkeys descend from the steep cliffs and forest to sit in the warm waters of the onsen (hot springs), and return to the security of the forests in the evenings.     Dallol    Is a volcanic explosion crater in the Danakil Depression, in Ethiopia. It was formed during a volcanic eruption in 1926, and numerous other similar craters dot the salt flats nearby. This remote area is subject to the highest average temperatures on the planet with an average annual temperature of 34°C (94°F) recorded between the years 1960 and 1966. Dallol resembles the famous hot springs areas of Yellowstone Park but appears to be more wide-stretching.  Blue Lagoon    Is a Geothermal Spa located in a lava field between Keflavik Internation Airport and Reykjavik in southwestern Iceland. The lagoon is a byproduct of the nearby geothermal power plant. Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After going through the turbines, the hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal hot water heating system and is finally fed into the lagoon. The warm waters are rich in minerals and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help many people suffering from skin diseases. The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 40 °C (104 °F) and is enjoyable year round, even in freezing conditions.  Yellowstone   Yellowstone National Park was the world’s first national park, set aside in 1872 to preserve the vast number of geysers, hot springs, and other thermal areas, as well as to protect the incredible wildlife and rugged beauty of the area. Yellowstone lies on top of a gigantic hotspot where light, hot, molten mantle rock rises towards the surface. Subsequently, the park contains half of all the world’s known geothermal features, with more than 10,000 examples of geysers and hot springs. Over the past 17 million years or so, this hotspot has generated a succession of violent eruptions including a dozen or so super eruptions. 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