The Iceland hotspot

Collaborators:

Princeton University: Richard Allen,  Jason Morgan, Guust Nolet, Kristin Vogfjord (now at National Energy Authority in Reykjavik).
Vedurstofa Islands: Steinun Jakobsdottir, Ragnar Stefansson
University of Durham (UK): Gillian Foulger, Matt Pritchard
USGS, Menlo Park: Bruce Julian

Funding:

National Science Foundation (US)
National Energy Research Council (UK)

Publications:

Allen, R.M., G. Nolet, W.J. Morgan, K. Vogfjord, B.H. Bergsson, P. Erlendsson, G.R. Foulger, S. Jakobsdottir, B.R. Julian, M. Pritchard, S. Ragnarsson and R. Stefansson, The thin hot plume beneath Iceland, Geophys. J. Int., 137, 51-63, 1999.

Konstantinou, K.I., G. Nolet, W.J. Morgan, R.M. Allen and M.J. Pritchard, Seismic phenomena associated with the 1996 Vatnajokull eruption, central Iceland, J. Volc. Geotherm. Res.,102, 169-187, 2000.

Shen, Y., S.C. Solomon, I. Th. Bjarnason, G. Nolet, W.J. Morgan, R.M. Allen, K. Vogflord, S. Jakobsdottir, R. Stefansson, B.R. Julian and G.R.
Foulger, Seismic evidence for a tilted mantle plume and North-South mantle flow beneath Iceland, subm. to Earth Plan. Sc. Lett., 2001.

Foulger, G.R., M. J. Pritchard, B. R. Julian, J. R. Evans, R. M. Allen, G. Nolet, W. J. Morgan, B. H. Bergsson, P. Erlendsson, S. Jakobsdóttir, S. Ragnarsson, R. Stefansson, K. Vogfjörd, The seismic anomaly beneath Iceland extends down to the mantle transition zone and no deeper,  Geophys. J. Int.,  142,   F1,  2000.

Foulger, G.R., M. J. Pritchard, B. R. Julian, J. R. Evans, R. M. Allen, G. Nolet, W. J. Morgan, B. H. Bergsson, P. Erlendsson, S. Jakobsdottir, S. Ragnarsson, R. Stefansson, K. Vogfjörd, Seismic tomography shows that upwelling beneath Iceland is confined to the upper mantle, Geophys. J. Int.,  .146,  504-, 2001.

Allen, R.M., G. Nolet., W.J. Morgan, K. Vogfjord, M. Nettles, G. Ekstrom, B.H. Bergsson, P. Erlendsson, G.R. Foulger, S. Jakobsdottir, B.R. Julian, M. Pritchard, S. Ragnarsson, R. Stefansson, Plume driven plumbing and crustal formation on Iceland, subm. to Geophys. J. Int., 2001.

Allen, R.M., G. Nolet., W.J. Morgan, K. Vogfjord, M. Nettles, G. Ekstrom, B.H. Bergsson, P. Erlendsson, G.R. Foulger, S. Jakobsdottir, B.R. Julian, M. Pritchard, S. Ragnarsson, R. Stefansson, Imaging plume-ridge interaction in the mantle beneath Iceland, subm. to Geophys. J. Int., 2001.
 

Goals of the project

Iceland represents one of the most active hotspots on Earth, it produces an estimated 0.12 km3 of basalt every year - a rate only surpassed by Hawaii. Unlike Hawaii, however, Iceland is located on top of an ocean ridge system, and this interaction has produced a landmass that makes it possible to investigate the hotspot with land-based seismometers.  Between July 1996 and September 1998 we have collected almost 200 Gbyte of seismic data which are currently being analysed to provide answers to our fundamental questions about the extent of the melt region, the nature of the interaction between the hotspot and the ridge, the cause of the topographic elevation that accompanies the hotspot (hotspot swell), which we think is the result of melt residue in the uppermost mantle, the thickness of the crust in Iceland, the present-day distribution of seismicity and volcanism on the island. We also plan to combine seismic results with gravity data to infer the density of the deeper regions of the hotspot.

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