Nature Massive geyser erupts in Hokkaido town

A mysterious geyser, a rare kind of hot spring that is under pressure, erupted on August 8 in the middle of a forest on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. For the past couple of weeks, the tube-like hole in the Earth's surface has been sending jets of water and steam up to 40-meters-high into the air. People of Oshamambe, a small town in Japan, hold an annual summer festival every August 9 at the local Shinto shrine, but unfortunately this year, the festival was overshadowed by the unusual occurrence at the shrine grounds' forest just a day before the event. The more religious locals are seeing the natural phenomenon as an omen, but it is more likely linked to a scientific explanation. The geyser, which is made from a tube-like hole in the Earth's surface, has been gushing out columns of water at an impressive speed. Meanwhile, the temperature of greyish water is recorded at 20 degrees Celsius and samples analysed by scientists claim that it contains sediment, all these factors together suggest that the geyser is powered by a hot spring beneath the Oshamambe shrine.

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There is a possibility that the geyser on the grounds of Iinari Shrine in the town of Oshamambe, Hokkaido, will erupt again, and the town government will install sound-absorbing panels to prevent noise pollution, as well as equipment to prevent the salty water from dispersing into the surrounding area.

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