In 2021, Fagradalsfjall, a volcano on the southern peninsula of Iceland erupted for six months straight. The day it erupted, scientists examined it, and it was full of crystals.
Scientists used samples from the volcanic eruption to better understand the dynamics under Earth’s surface, where there is no light. Scientists have found that the lava contained much material from parts of the mantle, which showed a more colorful painting of the volcanic eruptions.
Frances Deegan, a volcanologist, said that we have a detailed record of the different types of composition in the mantle.
The Fagradalsfjall lava came from a deep dam of magma.Since the dam is deep, the volcano will be dripping out lava for a longer time. “We were working all hours, you are asleep, and the volcano is still erupting, and you are like, ‘I got to get back out there,’” said Dr. Marshall, a geochemist. “But it is hard to describe how rare this kind of thing is.”
Fagradalsfijall is on the boundary lines of Eurasian and North American plates where they both rub against each other. According to researchers, every one thousand years, there is volcanic activity. Usually, eruptions happen when lots of small magma mix. When Fagradalsfjall erupted, a large magma mix shot out.
“For the first time, more or less, we are looking at an active eruption on our oceanic crust where the lava is directly erupting from the mantle source,” Dr. Flovenz said.
“It is an amazing eruption for our field,” said Dr. Marshall, “and it is one of those things that will be studied for a long time.”
Scientists used samples from the volcanic eruption to better understand the dynamics under Earth’s surface, where there is no light. Scientists have found that the lava contained much material from parts of the mantle, which showed a more colorful painting of the volcanic eruptions.
Frances Deegan, a volcanologist, said that we have a detailed record of the different types of composition in the mantle.
The Fagradalsfjall lava came from a deep dam of magma.Since the dam is deep, the volcano will be dripping out lava for a longer time. “We were working all hours, you are asleep, and the volcano is still erupting, and you are like, ‘I got to get back out there,’” said Dr. Marshall, a geochemist. “But it is hard to describe how rare this kind of thing is.”
Fagradalsfijall is on the boundary lines of Eurasian and North American plates where they both rub against each other. According to researchers, every one thousand years, there is volcanic activity. Usually, eruptions happen when lots of small magma mix. When Fagradalsfjall erupted, a large magma mix shot out.
“For the first time, more or less, we are looking at an active eruption on our oceanic crust where the lava is directly erupting from the mantle source,” Dr. Flovenz said.
“It is an amazing eruption for our field,” said Dr. Marshall, “and it is one of those things that will be studied for a long time.”
