THE FACES OF EUROPE: WHEN THE EARTH IS BOILING

Thinking of Iceland, hot water fountains, the geysers, appear before your inner eye; bubbling springs shooting boiling water from the depth of the Earth: Iceland – personification of life on a volcano in the middle of the North Atlantic near the Arctic Circle. This is an island born and devastated by volcanoes. At this place you can watch how Earth is created and how you can bridle the destructive powers of nature. Geothermal heat is the magic word, providing the whole island with cheap warmth and energy from the very centre of the Earth. Currently about 85% of all buildings on Iceland are supplied with geothermal heat, even streets and car parking places are kept ice–free during the long winters.

Someone who has contributed significantly to the tapping and use of geothermal heat is the geologist Kristján Saemundsson who has been searching for unknown subterranean hot water sources all over the island for the past 40 years. He is as much a shy as a kind person who knows the country thoroughly but doesn't make any fuss over his extensive knowledge. He is a loner who loves to hike through the barren crater and lava–formed countryside by himself but who can also be a competent guide illustrating the various uses of geothermal heat. He led us to small farms relying on the warmth from their soil, to huge power stations where the hot steam hisses with great force from the drill holes, to artificially heated greenhouses where tomatoes are cultivated by the ton. These are all projects which would not have been possible without Kristján Saemundsson's test borings. He does work with a team of colleagues but often it is his experience that is decisive in finding new sources. Although he has turned 70 he still feels fit enough to take on new contracts. His island with its volcanoes and geological eccentricities, with its suddenly appearing crevices, boiling springs and a continuously reshaping surface; that is his world; constant threat but also the fascination of creation. His life's aim is to understand this incredible nature.

A film by ARTE , 2007
45 min. documentary

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