NEW STAMPS FOR ICELAND

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23339, 6 May 1939, Page 9 (Supplement)

NEW STAMPS FOR ICELAND

"DOYS and girls will bo interested to hear about four beautiful new stamps recently issued by Iceland, tho island which is fin independent State under tho rulo of tho King of Denmark. It is in the North Atlantic Ocean, and has a population of about 180,000. Tho new stamps all show a view of the Great Geyser, tho most famous of Iceland's many hot springs. Iceland, which is entirely volcanic in origin, being really a mountainous plateau of volcanic rocks; is a very interesting country to read about, but I don't think boys and girls would caro to live there. It is about 300 miles long and 200 miles wide; ice-fields cover sovoral thousands of square miles, and enormous glaciers glide slowly down tho mountains. Thcro are also volcanoes, sandy deserts, waterfalls, bogs, quicksands and hot springs!

You may bo interested to hear what happens inside these hot springs, called "geysers" (from the Icelandic term ''goysir,'' -\yhich you will see inscribed on the stamps, by tho way). Geysers are really fountains of boiling water. A geyser has an opening leading down to an unknown depth into the earth. Round the opening at the top. there is a shallow basin, usually full of warm water. It is believed that water which has filtered through the ground enters tho geyser-tubo just as it docs a well,

Famous Geyser Depicted

By RONALD YOUNGER

and that, far down, the walls of the tube are of hot rock. Here the water is brought to boiling-point, and is converted into steam, causing it to expand to about 1700 times its original bulk. This steam, in order to escape, forces • itself up the

geyser - tube, and hurls out tho wat or above, giving a fino display. I n between the outbursts there is a quiet period. Tho Great Geyser shown on the pic-

torial stamps ... t . ~i s w'o rlcl - famous, spurting water at regular intervals. to. a height of 150 feet. It attracts visitors from • all • parts of the world, and some tiny figures of tourists may be seen in the stump designs. Iho stamp illustrated is the 20 aur value, printed in scarlet. In exactly similar design are the 15 aur (purple), and 35 aur (blue). The remaining value (50 aur, green), gives a slightly "different view of the geyser. The new stamps are really beautiful, and boys and girls will certainly want to add copies to their stamp albums.. ...