| Summary: | We studied the seismic velocity structure beneath the Krafla central volcano, NE Iceland, by performing 3-D tomographic inversions of 1453 earthquakes recorded by a temporary local seismic network between 2009 and 2012. The seismicity is concentrated primarily around the Leirhnjúkur geothermal field near the center of the Krafla caldera. To obtain robust velocity models, we incorporated active seismic data from previous surveys. The Krafla central volcano has a relatively complex velocity structure with higher P wave velocities (V_p) underneath regions of higher topographic relief and two distinct low-V_p anomalies beneath the Leirhnjúkur geothermal field. The latter match well with two attenuating bodies inferred from S wave shadows during the Krafla rifting episode of 1974–1985. Within the Leirhnjúkur geothermalreservoir, we resolved a shallow (−0.5 to 0.5 km below sea level; bsl) region with low-V_p/V_s values and a deeper (0.5–1.5 km bsl) high-V_p/V_s zone. We interpret the difference in the velocity ratios of the two zones to be caused by higher rock porosities and crack densities in the shallow region and lower porosities and crack densities in the deeper region. A strong low-V_p/V_s anomaly underlies these zones, where a superheated steam zone within felsic rock overlies rhyolitic melt. © 2015 American Geophysical Union. Received 11 JUL 2015; Accepted 1 OCT 2015; Accepted article online 10 OCT 2015; Published online 30 OCT 2015. We thank Julian Drew for use of his CMM location algorithm. Seismometers were provided by SEIS-UK under loan 891, with additional data from local SIL network stations kindly provided by the Icelandic Meteorological Office. The data will be stored at IRIS (www.iris.edu) and accessible from there. Funding was provided to R.S.W. by a grant from the Natural Environment Research Council and to T.G. from a Shell UK studentship. Landsvirkjun allowed us to use well information and assisted with logistics during our field campaigns. We are grateful to Sveinbjörn ...
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