Large geyser erupts in Hokkaido, sending jets of water up to 40 m (130 feet) high, Japan

A large geyser started erupting on the grounds of a shrine in Oshamanbe Town, Hokkaido, Japan on August 8, 2022.

The water is reaching a height between 30 and 40 m (100 – 130 feet) and is accompanied by a loud roaring noise.

It’s about 20 °C (68 °F) and has a sulfur-like smell and a gray tint. The collected samples of the water also showed it contains sediment.

A Hokkaido dans la ville d'Oshamanbe un geyzer d'eau a surgit en pleine forêt le 8 août et ne s'est pas arrêté depuis.
La colonne d'eau monte jusqu'à 30m de haut et est à une température de 22-23°C
Elle est visible jusqu'à 1km de distance et ne faiblit paspic.twitter.com/CiEz7thZSp

— ⛩ Ryo Saeba ⛩ (@Ryo_Saeba_3) August 17, 2022

It appears like there’s a hot spring hidden underneath the shrine grounds, though researchers have yet to make a definitive statement to that effect as they continue to study the geyser and its water.¹

Oshamambe Town claims that a private business dug here more than 60 years ago to look for subsurface resources, and in 1961, gas and oil exploded.²

References:

¹ Gigantic geyser erupts from Shinto shrine’s forest on the night before its summer festival – Sora News 24 – August 11, 2022

² Water blows up 30m Hokkaido Oshamambe Town Forest on the shrine grounds – NHK – August 10, 2022

Featured image credit: ANN News (stillshot)