Smiður

Smiður comes from Icelandic and Old Norse, meaning 'the smith' or 'smithy.' It reflects Iceland's long tradition of giving its geothermal features descriptive native names.

It is documented in Iceland's national geothermal field surveys rather than being a mainstream tourist feature, so its exact field placement is best confirmed in those survey records. Iceland straddles the volcanically active Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which powers its hundreds of hot springs and geysers.

It is a far less prominent feature than the two stars of the Haukadalur geothermal area, where Strokkur erupts roughly every 5 to 10 minutes and Geysir gave the English language the very word 'geyser.' Smiður is primarily of interest to geothermal catalog enthusiasts rather than tour groups.

Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the spreading boundary between tectonic plates and abundant volcanic heat bring groundwater to the boiling point close to the surface. That geology produces the country's dense concentration of geysers, hot springs, and geothermal power plants.