Rapid shifting of a deep magmatic source at Fagradalsfjall volcano, Iceland

Recent Icelandic rifting events have illuminated the roles of centralized crustal magma reservoirs and lateral magma transport1,2,3,4, important characteristics of mid-ocean ridge magmatism1,5. A consequence of such shallow crustal processing of magmas4,5 is the overprinting of signatures that trace the origin, evolution and transport of melts in the uppermost mantle and lowermost crust6,7. Here we present unique insights into processes occurring in this zone from integrated petrologic and geochemical studies of the 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. Geochemical analyses of basalts erupted during the first 50 days of the eruption, combined with associated gas emissions, reveal direct sourcing from a near-Moho magma storage zone. Geochemical proxies, which signify different mantle compositions and melting conditions, changed at a rate unparalleled for individual basaltic eruptions globally. Initially, the erupted lava was dominated by melts sourced from the shallowest mantle but over the following three weeks became increasingly dominated by magmas generated at a greater depth. This exceptionally rapid trend in erupted compositions provides an unprecedented temporal record of magma mixing that filters the mantle signal, consistent with processing in near-Moho melt lenses containing 107–108 m3 of basaltic magma. Exposing previously inaccessible parts of this key magma processing zone to near-real-time investigations provides new insights into the timescales and operational mode of basaltic magma systems

Olivine chemistry reveals compositional source heterogeneities within a tilted mantle plume beneath Iceland

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. High-Fo olivine (Fo = Mg/(Mg+Fe) mol%) is an ideal proxy for establishing the compositions of primary melts and their mantle sources. This has been exploited in establishing lithological variations in the mantle source regions of oceanic basalts, including in Iceland. However, previous studies on Icelandic olivine lack spatial and temporal coverage. We present high-precision in-situ major, minor and trace element analyses of Fo-rich olivine from a suite of 53 primitive basalts erupted in the neovolcanic rift and flank zones of Iceland, as well as in older regions of Quaternary and Tertiary crust. Most of these samples have previously been analysed for 3He/4He, which ranges from 6.7 to 47.8 RA, the largest span reported for any oceanic island. By combining trace elemental variability with 3He/4He, we assess the extent of lithological variability in the Icelandic mantle plume. Trace-element ratios that are likely to preserve information about mantle source regions (e.g., Mn/Fe, Ni/(Mg/Fe), Ga/Sc, Zn/Fe and Mn/Zn) suggest a peridotitic mantle source in all rift-related volcanic regions, as well as in the off-rift flank zones of Öræfajökull and Snæfellsnes. However, a signal of a more pyroxenitic mantle lithology is clearly visible in olivine from the South Iceland Volcanic Zone, which represents the southward propagation of the Eastern Rift Zone, while olivine from Tertiary lavas suggests a mixed peridotite-pyroxenite source composition. We are able to identify four components present in the Icelandic mantle: a lithologically heterogeneous plume component with 3He/4He >MORB; a depleted MORB-like peridotite; an isotopically enriched MORB-like peridotite; and a peridotitic component with 3He/4He <MORB, sampled in the off-rift flank zone at Öræfajökull. The spatial distribution of these four components can be explained by a northward tilted mantle plume. This has previously been proposed by geophysical and geochemical studies of both Hawaii and Iceland suggesting that the plume geometry could be a contributing factor in controlling some of the spatial variation in source lithology beneath ocean islands

Geothermal energy and ore-forming potential of 600 °C mid-ocean-ridge hydrothermal fluids

The ∼4500-m-deep Iceland Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) borehole IDDP-2 in Iceland penetrated the root of an active seawater-recharged hydrothermal system below the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. As direct sampling of pristine free fluid was impossible, we used fluid inclusions to constrain the in situ conditions and fluid composition at the bottom of the hydrothermal convection cell. The fluid temperature is ∼600 °C, and its pressure is near-hydrostatic (∼45 MPa). The fluid exists as two separate phases: an H2O-rich vapor (with an enthalpy of ∼59.4 kJ/mol) and an Fe-K–rich brine containing 2000 μg/g Cu, 3.5 μg/g Ag, 1.4 μg/g U, and 0.14 μg/g Au. Occasionally, the fluid inclusions coexist with rhyolite melt inclusions. These findings indicate that the borehole intersected high-energy steam, which is valuable for energy production, and discovered a potentially ore-forming brine. We suggest that similar fluids circulate deep beneath mid-ocean ridges worldwide and form volcanogenic massive sulfide Cu-Zn-Au-Ag ore deposits

Deep magma mobilization years before the 2021 CE Fagradalsfjall eruption, Iceland

Abstract The deep roots of volcanic systems play a key role in the priming, initiation, and duration of eruptions. Causative links between initial magmatic unrest at depth and eruption triggering remain poorly constrained. The 2021 CE eruption at Fagradalsfjall in southwestern Iceland, the first deep-sourced eruption on a spreading-ridge system monitored with modern instrumentation, presents an ideal opportunity for comparing geophysical and petrological data sets to explore processes of deep magma mobilization. We used diffusion chronometry to show that deep magmatic unrest in the roots of volcanic systems can precede apparent geophysical eruption precursors by years, suggesting that early phases of magma accumulation and reorganization can occur in the absence of significant increases in shallow seismicity (&amp;lt;7 km depth) or rapid geodetic changes. Closer correlation between geophysical and diffusion age records in the months and days prior to eruption signals the transition from a state of priming to full-scale mobilization in which magma begins to traverse the crust. Our findings provide new insights into the dynamics of near-Moho magma storage and mobilization. Monitoring approaches optimized to detect early phases of magmatic unrest in the lower crust, such as identification and location of deep seismicity, could improve our response to future eruptive crises.</jats:p