The interplay between deformation and magma transport in southeast Iceland ...

• Main Author: Twomey, Vincent
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The University of St Andrews 2023
• Subjects: QE461.T8; Magmatism; Geology > Iceland; Iceland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17630/sta/318; https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/27086

Igneous intrusions are of fundamental importance to society's ability to source critical metals, predict major natural hazards and, understand how Earth’s crust evolved. However, the factors that control how magma transits through Earth’s crust and the variables that determine if magma will arrest during the process of ascent or erupt at the surface remains a challenge. This study investigates the interface between key tectonic, host rock and magma parameters to advance our understanding of how these variables influence magma transport processes in sub-volcanic plumbing systems. Specifically, this thesis assesses the interplay of magma flow dynamics and i) deformation structures associated with the ambient extensional stress regime of SE Iceland and ii) host rock deformation processes caused by the process of laccolith intrusion. The first part of the thesis investigates how surface and overburden deformation (forced folds, faults, and fractures) correlate with the mechanism of magma emplacement. In a case ...