Hydrothermal fluid flow triggered by an earthquake in Iceland
Microearthquake hypocenters were analyzed in the Krýsuvík geothermal area in SW-Iceland with data taken from two consecutive passive seismic surveys, 2005 and 2009. Five years prior to the 2005 survey, this area was struck by an earthquake initiating a major top-to-bottom fluid migration in the uppe...
| Published in: | Communications Earth & Environment |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00755/86691/92136.pdf https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00755/86691/92137.pdf https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00382-0 https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00755/86691/ |
| Summary: | Microearthquake hypocenters were analyzed in the Krýsuvík geothermal area in SW-Iceland with data taken from two consecutive passive seismic surveys, 2005 and 2009. Five years prior to the 2005 survey, this area was struck by an earthquake initiating a major top-to-bottom fluid migration in the upper crust. We observe from our surveys a complex bottom-to-top migration of seismicity with time following this fluid penetration, suggesting the migration of a pore pressure front controlled by the upper-crust fracture system. We interpret these data as the time and space development of high-temperature hydrothermal cells from a deep upper crustal fluid reservoir in the supercritical field. These results provide an insight into the coupling mechanisms between active tectonics and fluid flow in upper-crustal extensional systems with high thermal flux. |
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