Examination of a method: Testing the Kelly-Barton Method on the Herðibreið tuya, Northern Volcanic Zone, Iceland

• Main Author: Oborn, Collin
• Other Authors: Barton, Michael
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: The Ohio State University 2018
• Subjects: Volcano; Iceland; Herdubreid; Volcanism; Geochemistry; Petrology; Barton
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1811/84922

Iceland is the most volcanically diverse location on the planet as nearly every type of volcano can be found on this island. Volcanoes are an existential and powerful threat to the modern world on both short and long time scales, and understanding their inner workings is a necessary first step in protecting society from one of nature's deadliest and most destructive activities. This study focused on a specific locality in Iceland's Northern Volcanic Zone, the volcano known as Herdubreid (Herðubreið). The purpose of this research was to determine the depth of crustal magma bodies that feed Herdubreid using a new method developed by Dr. Michael Barton and Dr. Daniel Kelley. Their method involved using the analyzed weight percent of major oxides in recently collected samples of glass to calculate the pressure at which the magmas partially crystalized. From this pressure, the relative depth of the magma chamber or chambers located in the underlying crust can be established. The interpretation of these depths revealed the presence of two main magma bodies located at 9–11 km, and 15–18 km below the surface. These depths agree with the results of seismic and geodetic studies for the surrounding areas and are consistent with results obtained using identical petrologic methods to the one used in this study for Herdubreid and other volcanic plumbing systems in Iceland. This work provides only part of the bigger picture of Icelandic volcanism, as Herdubreid is only one of about thirty active volcanoes on Iceland. While the results of this work constitute a necessary first step for improving warning systems and updating evacuation procedures for people who live or work near similar types of volcanoes, more work is needed to gain a complete picture of the magma plumbing systems in the crust beneath Iceland. Additional research is underway to collect and study samples from these volcanic systems with the objective of understanding how these different types of volcanoes work, how the different plumbing systems interact with each other, and how to place the results obtained for Iceland into a global context. Shell Exploration and Production Company Friends of Orton Hall Fund Ohio State Ofiice of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry The Ohio State University The Ohio State University Marching Band Alumni Association Katz Endowment No embargo Academic Major: Earth Sciences