Formation and elimination of segmentation and transform faults on the Reykjanes Ridge

The objectives of R/V Neil Armstrong cruise AR35-04 (Fig. 1) were to survey the flanks of the Reykjanes Ridge and determine the timing, geometry and associated geophysical characteristics of the large-scale tectonic reorganizations that occurred there in the Paleogene and continue to the present (Fig. 2). The North Atlantic plate boundary between what is today the Bight Fracture Zone and Iceland, a distance of nearly 1000 km, was originally a linear orthogonally-spreading ridge that became abruptly fragmented in a stair-step fashion following a change in plate motion [Smallwood and White, 2002]. Its subsequent evolution involved the systematic and progressive removal of offsets from north to south to re-establish its original linear configuration [Hey et al., 2016; Martinez and Hey, 2017], even though this required the ridge to then spread obliquely, since the new spreading direction remained stable. These tectonic reorganizations took place within the region of influence of the Iceland “hotspot” which creates a strong gradient in mantle melting along the ridge, increasing crustal thicknesses by ~3-4 km and decreasing ridge axis depths by ~ 3000 m between the Bight Fracture Zone and Iceland [Louden et al., 2004]. A mantle gradient in melting properties (compositional and/or thermal) is presumably what results in the regional residual basement depth anomaly that extends throughout this region of the North Atlantic from the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge to south of the Bight Fracture Zone. This gradient in mantle properties with distance from the Iceland hotspot apparently had strong modulating effects on the tectonic reorganizations: the initial segment lengths and offsets appear in regional magnetic anomaly and satellite-derived gravity maps to be smaller toward Iceland and the segments evolved to re-establish the linear ridge configuration more quickly to the north [Hey et al., 2016]. As both kinematic and “hotspot” effects influence their development, the Reykjanes ridge flanks are key areas for investigating lithospheric and mantle controls on ridge segmentation, formation and elimination of transform faults and the mechanisms controlling their evolution.This work was funded by NSF grant OCE-1756760. The Marine Advanced Technology and Education program supported the participation of the MATE interns. An InterRidge Cruise Bursary supported the participation of Dr. Dominik Palgan

Pre-Holocene volcanic ash in sediments near Jan Mayen

Poster presentation at the conference Nordic Geological winter meeting, 11.05.22 - 13.05.22, Reykjavik, Icelan

Mapping and Assessing Surface Morphology of Holocene Lava Field in Krafla (NE Iceland) Using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing

Iceland is well known for its volcanic activity due to its location on the spreading Mid Atlantic Ridge and one of the earth’s hot spot. In the past 1000 years there were about 200 eruptions occurring in Iceland, meaning volcanic eruptions occurred every four to five years, on average. Iceland currently has 30 active volcano systems, distributed evenly throughout the socalled Neovolcanic Zone. One of these volcanic systems is the Krafla central volcano, which is located in the northern Iceland at latitude 65°42'53'' N and longitude 16°43'40'' W. Krafla has produced two volcanic events in historic times: 1724-1729 (Myvatn Fires) and 1975-1984 (Krafla Fires). The Krafla Fires began in December 1975 and lasted until September 1984. This event covered about 36-km2 surrounding area with lava, having a total volume of 0.25-0.3 km3 . Previous studies of lava surface morphology at Krafla focused on an open channel area by remote sensing are essential as a complementary tool to the previous investigations and to extend the area of mapping. Using Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) classification approach by selecting spectral reflectance end members, this study has successfully produced a detailed map of the surface morphology in Krafla lava field EO-1 Hyperion (Hyperspectral) satellite images. The overall accuracy of lava morphology map is 61.33% (EO-1 Hyperion). These results show that hyperspectral remote sensing is an acceptable alternative to field mapping and assessing the lava surface morphology in the Krafla lava field. In order to get validation of the satellite image’s spectral reflectance, in-situ measurements of the lava field’s spectral reflectance using ASD FieldSpec3 is essential.LPDP scholarship (Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education

New Insights for Detecting and Deriving Thermal Properties of Lava Flow Using Infrared Satellite during 2014–2015 Effusive Eruption at Holuhraun, Iceland

A new lava field was formed at Holuhraun in the Icelandic Highlands, north of Vatnajökull glacier, in 2014–2015. It was the largest effusive eruption in Iceland for 230 years, with an estimated lava bulk volume of ~1.44 km3 covering an area of ~84 km2. Satellite-based remote sensing is commonly used as preliminary assessment of large scale eruptions since it is relatively efficient for collecting and processing the data. Landsat-8 infrared datasets were used in this study, and we used dual-band technique to determine the subpixel temperature (Th) of the lava. We developed a new spectral index called the thermal eruption index (TEI) based on the shortwave infrared (SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) bands allowing us to differentiate thermal domain within the lava flow field. Lava surface roughness effects are accounted by using the Hurst coefficient (H) for deriving the radiant flux (Φrad) and the crust thickness (Δh). Here, we compare the results derived from satellite images with field measurements. The result from 2 December 2014 shows that a temperature estimate (1096 °C; occupying area of 3.05 m2) from a lava breakout has a close correspondence with a thermal camera measurement (1047 °C; occupying area of 4.52 m2). We also found that the crust thickness estimate in the lava channel during 6 September 2014 (~3.4–7.7 m) compares closely with the lava height measurement from the field (~2.6–6.6 m); meanwhile, the total radiant flux peak is underestimated (~8 GW) compared to other studies (~25 GW), although the trend shows good agreement with both field observation and other studies. This study provides new insights for monitoring future effusive eruption using infrared satellite imagesThe first author has been supported by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), Institute of Earth Science and Vinir Vatnajökuls during his Ph.D. project. Authors also would also like to thank anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments for the manuscript.Peer Reviewe

The 2014–2015 Lava Flow Field at Holuhraun, Iceland: Using Airborne Hyperspectral Remote Sensing for Discriminating the Lava Surface

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)The Holuhraun lava flow was the largest effusive eruption in Iceland for 230 years, with an estimated lava bulk volume of ~1.44 km3 and covering an area of ~84 km2. The six month long eruption at Holuhraun 2014–2015 generated a diverse surface environment. Therefore, the abundant data of airborne hyperspectral imagery above the lava field, calls for the use of time-efficient and accurate methods to unravel them. The hyperspectral data acquisition was acquired five months after the eruption finished, using an airborne FENIX-Hyperspectral sensor that was operated by the Natural Environment Research Council Airborne Research Facility (NERC-ARF). The data were atmospherically corrected using the Quick Atmospheric Correction (QUAC) algorithm. Here we used the Sequential Maximum Angle Convex Cone (SMACC) method to find spectral endmembers and their abundances throughout the airborne hyperspectral image. In total we estimated 15 endmembers, and we grouped these endmembers into six groups; (1) basalt; (2) hot material; (3) oxidized surface; (4) sulfate mineral; (5) water; and (6) noise. These groups were based on the similar shape of the endmembers; however, the amplitude varies due to illumination conditions, spectral variability, and topography. We, thus, obtained the respective abundances from each endmember group using fully constrained linear spectral mixture analysis (LSMA). The methods offer an optimum and a fast selection for volcanic products segregation. However, ground truth spectra are needed for further analysis.The first author was supported by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) Grant No. 20160222025516, European Network of Observatories and Research Infrastructures for Volcanology (EUROVOLC), The European Facility for Airborne Research (EUFAR) and Vinir Vatnajökuls during his Ph.D. project.Peer Reviewe

Lava Flow Roughness on the 2014–2015 Lava Flow-Field at Holuhraun, Iceland, Derived from Airborne LiDAR and Photogrammetry

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)Roughness can be used to characterize the morphologies of a lava flow. It can be used to identify lava flow features, provide insight into eruption conditions, and link roughness pattern across a lava flow to emplacement conditions. In this study, we use both the topographic position index (TPI) and the one-dimensional Hurst exponent (H) to derive lava flow unit roughness on the 2014–2015 lava field at Holuhraun using both airborne LiDAR and photogrammetric datasets. The roughness assessment was acquired from four lava flow features: (1) spiny lava, (2) lava pond, (3) blocky surface, and (4) inflated channel. The TPI patterns on spiny lava and inflated channels show that the intermediate TPI values correspond to a small surficial slope indicating a flat and smooth surface. Lava pond is characterized by low to high TPI values and forms a wave-like pattern. Meanwhile, irregular transitions patterns from low to high TPI values indicate a rough surface that is found in blocky surface and flow margins. The surface roughness of these lava features falls within the H range of 0.30 ± 0.05 to 0.76 ± 0.04. The roughest surface is the blocky, and inflated lava flows appear to be the smoothest surface among these four lava units. In general, the Hurst exponent values in the 2014–2015 lava field at Holuhraun has a strong tendency in 0.5, both TPI and Hurst exponent successfully derive quantitative flow roughnessThe first author was supported by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) Grant No. 20160222025516, European Network of Observatories and Research Infrastructures for Volcanology (EUROVOLC), and Vinir Vatnajökuls during his Ph.D. project. LiDAR airborne datasets provided by The European Facility for Airborne Research (EUFAR) and airborne photogrammetry provided by Loftmyndir ehf.Peer Reviewe

Evidence for late Pleistocene volcanism at Santa Maria Island, Azores?

Santa Maria Island constitutes the oldest volcanic island within the Azores Archipelago, with no onshore record of eruptions younger than ≈2.8 Ma. A recent high-resolution multibeam bathymetric survey, however, revealed the presence of a seemingly young submerged wide volcanic edifice at approximately −70/−80 m, on the northeastern sector of the island shelf. The outer flanks of this volcanic edifice are partially eroded by marine erosion, but its general morphology is largely preserved, attesting to its relative youth. The edifice's aspect ratio and crater size are typical of a tuff ring formed by very violent surtseyan to taalian eruptions (with water/magma interaction ratios close to 1), implying extrusion at sea level or in very shallow waters, conditions that are incompatible with the present-day water depth at which this structure occurs. A detailed geomorphological analysis – coupled with a correlation with a modified reference eustatic curve – allowed the formulation and discussion of a formation model for the tuff ring, which involves extrusion during a period immediately preceding a rapid relative sea-level drop, most likely at ≈43 ka. Extrusion during such a period would have allowed for the subaerial consolidation and palagonitization of the tuff ring, increasing its resistance to erosion, before being finally submerged during the Last Glacial Termination. Submersion during the Last Glacial Termination – a period characterised by extremely fast sea-level rise – also helps to explain why this tuff ring was submerged without being completely razed by marine erosion. Our study offers insights on the formation and preservation of tuff rings in coastal environments, and in relation to sea-level oscillations, suggesting that consolidation plays a crucial role in the process. Crucially, our study suggests that Santa Maria's volcanism might have extended well into the very late Pleistocene, raising important hazard implications. Future work is scheduled to confirm this hypothesis, including sampling of the volcanic products by dredging and/or by remote operated vehicle. Our study also emphasises the importance of available high-resolution bathymetric surveys to the formulation of solid volcanic hazard assessments on volcanic islands.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contrasting mechanisms of magma fragmentation during coeval magmatic and hydromagmatic activity: the Hverfjall Fires fissure eruption, Iceland

Growing evidence for significant magmatic vesiculation prior to magma-water interaction (MWI) has brought into question the use of ‘diagnostic’ features, such as low vesicularities and blocky morphologies, to identify hydromagmatic pyroclasts. We address this question by quantifying co-variations in particle size, shape and texture in both magmatic and hydromagmatic deposits from the Hverfjall Fires fissure eruption, Iceland. Overlapping vesicularity and bubble number density distributions measured in rapidly quenched magmatic and hydromagmatic pyroclasts indicate a shared initial history of bubble nucleation and growth, with substantial vesiculation prior to MWI. Hydromagmatic fragmentation occurred principally by brittle mechanisms, where the length scale and geometry of fracturing was controlled by the bubble population. This suggests that the elevated fragmentation efficiency of hydromagmatic deposits is driven, at least in part, by brittle disintegration of vesicular pyroclasts due to high thermal stress generated during rapid cooling. In this way, the shape and size distributions of hydromagmatic pyroclasts, both critical input parameters for ash dispersion models, are strongly influenced by the dynamics of vesiculation prior to MWI. This result underlines the need to analyse multiple grain-size fractions to characterise the balance between magmatic and hydromagmatic processes. During the Hverfjall Fires eruption, the external water supply was sufficient to maintain MWI throughout the eruption, with no evidence for progressive exhaustion of a water reservoir. We suggest that both the longevity and the spatial distribution of MWI were determined by the pre-existing regional hydrology and represent continuous interaction between a propagating dike and a strong groundwater flow system hosted within permeable basalt lavas.This work was completed with support for KVC from the AXA Research Fund and a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award, a Royal Society URF to ACR and a University of Bristol postgraduate Scholarship to EJL. Fieldwork was supported by a New Researchers Award from the Geologists’ Association to EJL. We thank S. Kearns and B. Buse for their assistance with SEM analysis.Peer Reviewe

The 2014 Lake Askja rockslide-induced tsunami: Optimization of numerical tsunami model using observed data

A large rockslide was released from the inner Askja caldera into Lake Askja, Iceland, on 21 July 2014. Upon entering the lake, it caused a large tsunami that traveled about ∼3 km across the lake and inundated the shore with vertical runup measuring up to 60–80 m. Following the event, comprehensive field data were collected, including GPS measurements of the inundation and multibeam echo soundings of the lake bathymetry. Using this exhaustive data set, numerical modeling of the tsunami has been conducted using both a nonlinear shallow water model and a Boussinesq-type model that includes frequency dispersion. To constrain unknown landslide parameters, a global optimization algorithm, Differential Evolution, was employed, resulting in a parameter set that minimized the deviation from measured inundation. The tsunami model of Lake Askja is the first example where we have been able to utilize field data to show that frequency dispersion is needed to explain the tsunami wave radiation pattern and that shallow water theory falls short. We were able to fit the trend in tsunami runup observations around the entire lake using the Boussinesq model. In contrast, the shallow water model gave a different runup pattern and produced pronounced offsets in certain areas. The well-documented Lake Askja tsunami thus provided a unique opportunity to explore and capture the essential physics of landslide tsunami generation and propagation through numerical modeling. Moreover, the study of the event is important because this dispersive nature is likely to occur for other subaerial impact tsunamis.Nordic Centre of Excellence on Resilience and Societal Security (NORDRESS) Research Council of Norway -231252 Icelandic Avalanche and Landslide Fund Vatnajokull National ParkPeer Reviewe

Thermal model of lava in Mt. Agung during December 2017 episodes derived from Integrated SENTINEL 2A and ASTER remote sensing datasets

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)In the beginning of December 2017, Mt. Agung eruption powered down to minor ash emissions and on the middle of December, aerial photographs of the crater were taken by Indonesia Centre of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) showing a steadily growing lava occupying approximately one third of the crater. 3D digital elevation model (DEM) of crater were created by PVMBG during and before the eruption, corresponded to lava volume around 2 x 10−2 km3 has been filled the crater. Here we present a method for deriving thermal model within the lava during eruption on 8 and 9 December 2017 using observations from multi infrared satellite SENTINEL 2A and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER). We use Thermal Eruption Index (TEI) based on the Shortwave infrared (SWIR) on SENTINEL 2A and Thermal Infrared (TIR) on ASTER, allowing us to differentiate thermal domain within the lava. This study has successfully produced model of sub-pixel temperature (Th), radiant flux (Φrad) and crust thickness model of lava (Δh). The subpixel temperature and radiant flux during the eruption is in the range 655 to 975 °C and 179 MW respectively. The crust thickness model of the lava in the range of 9 to 14 m and the total volume of lava crust during this period is estimated at 3 x 10−3 km3. The combination of infrared satellite remote sensing data shows a potential for fast and efficient classification of difference thermal domains and derive thermal model of lava.The first author has been supported by the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), Institute of Earth Science and Vinir Vatnajökuls during his PhD project.Peer Reviewe