Locals in Reydarfjordur still remember the 1978 drilling project, but not so much for its geological findings
 |
| The hole was drilled to a depth of about 1.9 kilometres. (Courtesy Johann Helgason) |
Forty years after researchers from Halifax, Canada helped drill a hole nearly two kilometres into the ground in rural Iceland, locals still remember the project, not so much for its geological findings, but for the spout of hot water it unexpectedly unleashed — and the midnight hot tub parties it brought to their isolated fishing village.
Johann Helgason was involved in the drilling project and now works for the National Land Survey of Iceland. He said the discovery of the hot spring in Reydarfjordur was significant because the area wasn't previously believed to have much geothermal potential. But after the project wound up, drilling in nearby Eskifjordur revealed enough geothermal energy to heat the entire village.
