Often tourists mix up two hot springs or geysers – the artificial and more active Leppaluði borehole and dormant Grýla – once impressive geyser which is located just some 500 m to the south.

Both hot springs are located near Hveragerði town – an unusual town which is built over such springs.

Leppaluði is not a natural spring – this is a borehole that was constantly erupting hot water up to 10 – 12 m high. There is concrete around the borehole – thus it even does not look too natural.

This borehole is named after the husband of legendary ogress Grýla – Leppaluði.

Since the formerly active Grýla geyser is inactive today, some tourists happen to confuse the recently active Leppaluði with the nearby Grýla.

Leppaluði borehole is included in the following article:

Geysers of Iceland

Some of the world’s most popular geysers are located in Iceland. But few know about ALL active geysers in Iceland.

This article lists all the known active geysers in Iceland – some 20 – 29 of them. Here are listed also some 38 other places where geysers have existed in the past or features, which are similar to geysers but are not genuine geysers.

References

1. Dirk Niemann, Hveragerði and Grændalur, Volcanic Springs. Accessed on April 17, 2019.

Leppaluði borehole on the map

Location, GPS coordinates:	64.0136 N 21.1888 W
Categories:	Thermal springs, Geysers (not a real geyser)
Values:	Geology, Visual
Rating:
Where is located?	Europe, Iceland, Suðurland, approximately 45 km drive west from Reykjavík, approximately 1.6 km north from Hveragerði town, at the right side of the road leading to the north, to Reykjakot, at the bridge over Varmá River
Height:	artificial spouter, around 2007 it was some 10 – 12 m high

Video of Leppaluði borehole

jenniesfilmpjes, July 2007

Landmarks of Iceland

Iceland is very rich with peculiar natural landmarks and the island contains also interesting cultural landmarks. The highlights of Iceland are the magnificent waterfalls as well as geysers and other geothermal features.

Geysers

Hasty hydrogeologist would say: geysers are thermodynamically and hydrodynamically unstable hot springs. “Normal” people would say – geysers are hot springs which at more or less regular intervals shoot up a fountain of boiling water and steam. Sometimes these fountains are even 100 m tall… or even 450 m!

Recommended books

Iceland Travel Guide

Iceland Travel Guide Introduction This book includes all the necessary links for an easy journey to your Icelandic adventure. To make your Iceland travel more entertaining and full of all of the things that you want, you’ll see a step-by-step route around the entire country, indicating the distance in miles, accommodations, recreation, entertainment, shopping and much more. This Iceland travel guide will be the perfect companion to see all of the hottest spots, like Blue Lagoon, Iceland and other must-sees.

The Glorious Geology of Iceland’s Golden Circle

This is the first book describing the glorious geology of Iceland’s Golden Circle and four additional excursions:(1) the beautiful valleys and mountains of the fjord of Hvalfjördur, (2) the unique landscape and geothermal fields of the Hengill Volcano, (3) the explosion craters, volcanic fissures, and lava fields of the Reykjanes Peninsula, and (4) the volcanoes (Hekla, Eyjafjallajökull, Katla), waterfalls, sandur plains, and rock columns of South Iceland. The Golden Circle offers a unique opportunity to observe and understand many of our planet’s forces in action.