Geothermal History
Scores of Nations Have Issued Beautiful Postage
Stamps Paying Homage to Geothermal Forces
By Dr. John W. Lund, PE – Director, Geo-Heat Center (Klamath Falls, OR)
A
wide variety of topical areas are keen to
postage stamp enthusiasts, such as sports,
trains, flowers, movie stars and more. But
stamps depicting geothermal manifestations and
development are a little more unusual, and not
sought by the majority of philatelists.
Geothermal energy is depicted on stamps
from many countries, however, offering everything from violently erupting volcanoes and geysers, to power plants and spas. Blessed with
abundant geothermal activity, three countries
have consistently illustrated their stamps with
geothermal energy: Iceland, Japan and New
Zealand. This article divides the topics illustrated
by stamps from around the world into three main This stamp from the Solomon Islands provides not only a map, but a geologic cross-section.
areas:
• Natural features such as volcanoes, mud pots, hot spring, fumaDormant Volcanoes. Classic examples of this type of stamp inroles and geysers;
clude Mt. Fuji in Japan. Since 1930, Mt. Fuji has been depicted
with photographs and paintings on several dozen stamp issues. The
• Uses of geothermal resources such as heating, cooking, swimonly two U.S. stamps of this type are from a National Park series
ming, drilling and power generation; and,
in 1934, offering Crater Lake, Oregon, and Mt. Rainier, Washing• Volcanic disasters, mainly from volcanic eruption due to ash falls
ton. Samples from other countries are provided below.
and lava flows.
Illustrations of stamps from each of these three topics are arranged by category in the following pages, with emphasis on the
use of geothermal resources. Due to space limitations, sometimes
only one of a series will be shown. The country where a particular event takes place—and not the country of issue—is listed.
Past articles on geothermal stamps appear in the Geo-Heat Center
Quarterly Bulletin (Lund, 1980; Lund, 1996a; and Lund, 1996b).
Other articles on the subject can be found on the Internet at:
www.iomoon.com, and in an American Topical Association compilation (Jochimsen, 1990).
Mt. Fuji, Japan
Mt. Egmont, New Zealand
NATURAL GEOTHERMAL FEATURES
The most common natural geothermal features shown on postage stamps are volcanoes. There are many thousands available,
especially with recent international issues by many countries for
“The Year of the Mountains.” The following examples show both
dormant and active volcanoes. To start, an issue from the Solomon
Islands (opening illustration) provides a good introduction about
what causes volcanic eruptions.
Crater Lake, United States
Mt. Bristol, S. Sandwich Islands
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Geothermal History
Mt. Chimborazo, Ecuador
Mt. Lopevi, Vanuatu
Active Volcanoes. Stamps depicting active volcanoes are fewer in
number, but more interesting. Stamps of volcanic eruptions have
been issued by a wide range of countries, from Italy to the South
Sandwich Islands in Antarctica. Classic examples of this type are
the first stamps issued by El Salvador in 1867 of Mt. San Miguel.
Another helped defeat the Central American canal route proposed
through Nicaragua in 1902. Surprisingly, there are no stamps of
the famous U.S. eruptions of Lassen Peak, California (1914-17)
and Mt. St. Helens, Washington (1980), or any of the spectacular
lava fountains and flows of Hawaii. However, a recent series from
the small African island nation of Sao.Tomé and Príncipe does show
the Mt. St. Helens eruption. Another erupting volcano stamp of
interest is of Parícutin, the cinder cone that started in a Mexican
farm field in 1943. The stamp illustrates the volcano’s eruption,
but incorrectly shows black smoke instead of pyroclastic cinders
blasted into the air or lava flowing from Parícutin. Of unusual note
are stamps from Somalia showing a submarine eruption (black
smoker), and from San Marino showing a volcano erupting in the
middle of a campground!
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Mt. Popocatepelt, Mexico
San Cristobal, Nicaragua
Mt. San Miguel, El Salvador
Mt. Momotombo, Nicaragua
Ardoukova, Djibouti
Island Making, Tristan da Cunha
Ocean Vent, Somalia
Campground, San Marino
Marum & Benbow, Vanuatu
Cook Island, Solomon Islands
Klyuchevskoi, U.S.S.R.
Tongariro, New Zealand
Parícutin, Mexico
Popocatepetl, Mexico
GRC B ULLETIN
Geothermal History
Surtsey, Iceland
Mt. Bagana, Papua New Guinea
Karumski, Russia
Coastal Scene, New Hebrides
Taal, Philippines
Symbolic Volcano, UN
Soufriere Hills, Montserrat
Hekla, Iceland
Mt. San Pedro, Guatemala
Santiago-Masaya, Nicaragua
Bentjana Alam, Indonesia
Galeras-Pasto, Colombia
Sakurajima, Japan
Niuafo-ou, Tonga
Stromboli, Italy
Etna, Italy
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Geothermal History
Other Geothermal Manifestations. These stamps feature steaming ground, hot springs, mud pots
and geysers. The majority are from Japan, Iceland and New Zealand. The beautiful pink and white
terraces in New Zealand were buried by the eruption of Mt. Tarawera in 1886.
Submarine Vent, Guyana
Hverarönd, Iceland
Pink Terraces, New Zealand
White Terraces, New Zealand
Old Faithful Geyser, United States
Pohutu Geyser, New Zealand
Geysir, Iceland
Hakone Hot Springs, Japan
Rotorua Mud, New Zealand
Champagne Pool, New Zealand
Pyroclastic Flow, Monserrat
Strokkur Geyser, Iceland
w w w. g e o t h e r m a l . o r g
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES COUNCIL
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Geothermal History
GEOTHERMAL UTILIZATION
Geothermal utilization has been shown on only a few stamps
around the world. Even though the United States is the leader in
geothermal electric generation, for example, none show power
plants at the world’s largest geothermal power operation, The Geysers in northern California. Nor does Italy have any stamps that
show Lardarello, where geothermal electric power was first generated. Iceland and New Zealand geothermal utilization, however, is
well represented on their stamps.
Direct-Use. These stamps illustrate mainly cooking, swimming
and greenhouse growing of vegetables and flowers. Most interesting are issues showing clothes being washed at the hot springs in
Laugardalur in downtown Reykjavik, Iceland, and Maori geothermal cooking in New Zealand. The “Pearl” restaurant in Reykjavik
is shown sitting atop hot water storage tanks for a district heating
system. New stamp issues include those from the former Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria, beautifully illustrating their geothermal spas.
An unusual stamp from Sweden depicts a Hot Dry Rock geothermal well was part of their Renewable Energy series.
Hot Dry Rock Well, Sweden
Sport Swimming, Iceland
District Heating, Iceland
Hot Springs Therapy, Iceland
Carlsbad Spa, Czech Republic
Piestany Spa, Slovakia
Blue Lagoon, Iceland
The Pearl, Iceland
Sofia Central Bath, Bulgaria
Gorna Banja Bath, Bulgaria
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Washing Clothes, Iceland
Maori Cooking, New Zealand
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Geothermal History
Geothermal Power Generation. Only a few stamps show geothermal power plants, from New Zealand, Iceland, El Salvador and
Nicaragua. One stamp from Iceland shows a venting well, ostensibly for power generation. And finally, the power of a volcano and
geyser supporting handballs is shown from a series printed for the
1995 International Handball Championship in Iceland.
Momotombo, Nicaragua
Plant and Wells, Iceland
Power Scematic, New Zealand
Steam Venting, Iceland
Ahuachapan, El Salvador
Berlín Power Plant, El Salvador
Volcanic Eruptions
Geothermal disasters are usually caused by volcanic eruptions
and subsequent ash falls, ash and lava flows, and seismic sea waves.
In general, these are “bad” events, but diverted lava flows from the
1973 eruption on Heimeyar in Iceland’s Westmann Islands improved
a local harbor. In addition, galleries were excavated in the cooling
lava, and rain water collected in them was used to heat a town for a
number of years. Stamps commemorating this event were issued by
Iceland, Greenland and Denmark. Another interesting stamp depicts
the 6th century voyage of Irish Monk St. Brendan, sailing near Iceland and calling it the “gates of hell.” Mexican stamp issues of the
Parícutin eruption can also be included in this group, as the lava
flows buried a nearby village. Montserrat issued a set of nine stamps
to provide monetary relief for victims of the Soufriere Hills Volcano
eruption, as well as a regular set to commemorate “Active Volcano
1995-97,” and “Endangered Species.” An issue from St. Vincent was
sold to generate monetary relief for victims of the 1979 Soufriere
eruption. A Central African Republic issue depicts various disasters
around the world, including the infamous 911 attack in New York
City. Iceland’s disastrous Hekla eruption in 1947 (p. 255) can also
be included here.
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Volcano and Handball, Iceland
Geyser and Handball, Iceland
Taal Eruption, Philippines
Tin Can Island, Tonga
St. Brendan, Iceland
Gunung Meletus, Indonesia
GRC B ULLETIN
Geothermal History
Soufriere Hills, Montserrat
Soufriere Hills, Montserrat
Relief Fund, Soufriere
Mt. Etna, Italy
Heimaey, Iceland
Heimaey, Iceland
Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
Edinburgh, Tristan da Cunha
C
ollecting geothermal stamps is a hobby with me, so
I am surprised by the almost complete lack of geothermal energy stamps from the United States. As
noted in my 1980 Geo-Heat Center Quarterly Bulletin article, three U.S. geothermal stamps had been proposed
(worth 15 cents each at the time), including a Geysers
power plant, a drill rig, and a greenhouse direct-use project.
These were sent to the U.S. Postal Service stamp screening committee for consideration, but nothing was heard of
the ideas again. To help publicize geothermal energy and
development in the United States, such a proposal for geo■
thermal stamps should be renewed.
Stories from
a Heated Earth
Our Geothermal Heritage
References
Lund, John W., 1980. “Geothermal Philately,” Geo-Heat Center Quarterly Bulletin,
V. 5, No. 1 (March), Klamath Falls, OR, pp. 16-23.
Lund, John W., 1996. ‘New Zealand Geothermal Stamps,” Geo-Heat Center Quarterly
Bulletin, V. 17, No. 1 (February), Klamath Falls, OR, pp. 27-28 (available online
at: http://geoheat.oit.edu)
Lund, John W., 1996, Geothermal Stamps of Iceland, Geo-Heat Center Quarterly
Bulletin, V. 17, NO. 4 (November), Klamath Falls, OR, pp. 34 - 36. (Available
online at http://geoheat.oit.edu).
Morris, Edmund, 2001. Theodore Rex, The Modern Library, New York, 772 p.
Jochimsen, Bertha, 1990. Volcanoes on Stamps, Topical Time, P.O. Box 57, Arlington,
TX 76004 (Journal of Thematic Philately, American Topical Association).
Updated in 1999 by J. L. Whitford-Stark. Email: [email protected].
N OVEMBER / D ECEMBER 2003
A Fascinating Saga of Geothermal Resources
Since the Dawn of Modern Man
To obtain a copy, contact the GRC for details:
P.O. Box 1350 • Davis, CA 95616
tel (530) 758-2360 • fax (530) 758-2839
[email protected]
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