(ORDO NEWS) — A mysterious geyser, formed in the middle of a forest on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, has been throwing out columns of water up to 40 meters high for the past couple of weeks.
Every year on August 9, the small Japanese town of Oshamamba hosts an annual summer festival, culminating in a traditional procession at the local Shinto shrine.
However, this year’s festival was overshadowed by an unusual incident, when a huge geyser erupted in the middle of the forest on the territory of the sanctuary.
The locals were woken up by a constant roar, a column of water rising above the trees, and the smell of sulfur in the air.
The mysterious geyser has been spewing water for the past few weeks and is showing no signs of slowing down.
The more religious locals interpreted the mysterious Oshamambe geyser as an omen, but this phenomenon most likely has a scientific explanation.
Water spouting from the ground at an impressive speed has a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, a grayish color.
A sediment was found in the samples studied by the scientists. All of these factors suggest that the geyser is powered by a hot spring beneath the Oshamambe Shrine.
For the past two weeks, curious tourists have flocked to Oshamamba to see the geyser in person. It is an amazing sight as the column of water continues to rise above the tops of the forest.
The huge jet of water can be seen for miles, and is reportedly so strong that the trees next to it have completely lost their leaves.
While the geyser may have become something of a tourist attraction, it is already a nuisance to some locals in Oshamamba.
The constant roar of the geyser and the smell of sulfur in the air prevent windows from being opened, and the high humidity due to water sprayed into the air makes it impossible to dry clothes.
It has been two weeks since the geyser appeared in the forest outside of Oshamambe. It is still as strong as it was on the first day, and no one really knows how long this rare natural phenomenon will last.
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