Schlichting!: A geyser in the middle of Germany

2023 Author: Gordon Longman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 21:30

A geyser in the middle of Germany

A lot of carbon dioxide can be dissolved in deep groundwater at high pressure. If the mixture makes its way to the surface under special conditions, a spectacular eruption occurs - again and again.

A geyser is a special sight, from the sudden eruption to the collapse of the fountain. Such a natural spectacle can also be experienced here on land in Andernach am Rhein - created with a little human help. Unlike the specimens known from Iceland and other parts of the world, which are driven by hot steam, there is a so-called cold water geyser. It gets its energy from the ability to dissolve carbon dioxide (CO_{2) in water.}

We know the phenomenon in principle from carbonated drinks. When you open a soda bottle, part of the gas separates from the mineral water with a hissing sound. The CO_{2, which was dissolved in the water at higher pressure, collects in gas bubbles. These rise to the surface due to buoyancy and escape into the atmosphere. If you reinforce the process by shaking the bottle vigorously before opening it, you roughly have a miniature version of a cold-water geyser…}