An international team with researchers from the University of Palermo and INGV investigated Icelandic volcanism to acquire information on the upwelling mechanism of deep magmas
To know the dynamics of magma upwelling in the deepest portions of the feeding systems of Icelandic volcanoes, to understand the pre- and syn-eruptive processes and for the future monitoring of volcanic activities.
This is the purpose of the study " just published in the journal Nature. The research, focused on the study of lava and gas emitted by the Icelandic volcanic eruption of Fagradalsfjall in 2021, was attended by Prof. Alessandro Aiuppa and Dr. Marcello Bitetto of the Department of Earth and Sea Sciences of the University of Palermo (), and Dr. Gaetano Judge of the Etna Observatory of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology ().
Fagradalsfjall Volcano is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 40 kilometers from Reykjavík, Iceland. Over the past 3000 years, volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula has been characterized by eruptive periods of about 200–300 years, usually separated by 800–1000 years of quiescence. The 2021 eruption, which began on March 19 after about 800 years of rest, was preceded by weeks of high seismic activity and ground deformation, and was characterized by an initial effusive activity which subsequently evolved into a intense activity of lava fountains.
The research, led by Sæmundur Halldórsson of the of the University of Iceland, examined the lava and volcanic gases emitted during the first 50 days of the eruption. These analyzes revealed how, in an unusual way for Icelandic volcanism, the magmas involved in the eruption were directly drained from exceptional depths, in correspondence with the discontinuity (so-called Moho) which marks the transition between the earth's crust and the mantle. The scientists noted that the chemical composition of the erupted lavas showed rapid temporal evolution. During the initial phases of the eruption, the application of geo-barometric techniques indicated that the lava mainly came from an area located at the interface between the crust and the mantle. However, in the following weeks, the composition of the magmas changed indicating an origin of the magmas at greater depths. These results demonstrate that the magma storage zone near Moho is an extremely dynamic environment, where magma with different characteristics mix on incredibly short time scales (from days to weeks), and faster than previously thought.
To know the dynamics of magma upwelling in the deepest portions of the feeding systems of Icelandic volcanoes, to understand the pre- and syn-eruptive processes and for the future monitoring of volcanic activities.
This is the purpose of the study " just published in the journal Nature. The research, focused on the study of lava and gas emitted by the Icelandic volcanic eruption of Fagradalsfjall in 2021, was attended by Prof. Alessandro Aiuppa and Dr. Marcello Bitetto of the Department of Earth and Sea Sciences of the University of Palermo (), and Dr. Gaetano Judge of the Etna Observatory of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology ().
Fagradalsfjall Volcano is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 40 kilometers from Reykjavík, Iceland. Over the past 3000 years, volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula has been characterized by eruptive periods of about 200–300 years, usually separated by 800–1000 years of quiescence. The 2021 eruption, which began on March 19 after about 800 years of rest, was preceded by weeks of high seismic activity and ground deformation, and was characterized by an initial effusive activity which subsequently evolved into a intense activity of lava fountains.
The research, led by Sæmundur Halldórsson of the of the University of Iceland, examined the lava and volcanic gases emitted during the first 50 days of the eruption. These analyzes revealed how, in an unusual way for Icelandic volcanism, the magmas involved in the eruption were directly drained from exceptional depths, in correspondence with the discontinuity (so-called Moho) which marks the transition between the earth's crust and the mantle. The scientists noted that the chemical composition of the erupted lavas showed rapid temporal evolution. During the initial phases of the eruption, the application of geo-barometric techniques indicated that the lava mainly came from an area located at the interface between the crust and the mantle. However, in the following weeks, the composition of the magmas changed indicating an origin of the magmas at greater depths. These results demonstrate that the magma storage zone near Moho is an extremely dynamic environment, where magma with different characteristics mix on incredibly short time scales (from days to weeks), and faster than previously thought.
