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Published on: October 25, 2019
The Surtsey Magma Series
C Ian Schipper1, Sveinn P Jakobsson2, James D L White3
1School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
The Surtsey eruption
Area of Science:
- Volcanology
- Geochemistry
- Petrology
Background:
- Surtsey, Iceland, is a type example of shallow-to-emergent phreatomagmatic eruptions, formed by a 3.5-year eruption starting in 1963.
- The 50th anniversary of the Surtsey eruption provides an opportunity to re-examine its geochemical characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present new geochemical data (major and trace elements) for Surtsey tephra, including whole-rock and sideromelane glass compositions.
- To investigate the magmatic processes and source characteristics of the Surtsey eruption.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of major-element whole-rock compositions.
- Analysis of major and trace-element compositions of sideromelane glasses in tephra.
- Geochemical modeling to interpret magma mixing and source characteristics.
Main Results:
- Magma compositions became progressively more primitive during the eruption, with distinct changes linked to the four edifices.
- Trace-element ratios suggest mixing between depleted ridge-like basalt and enriched alkalic basalt.
- Surtsey lavas show a unique geochemical signature (lower Nb/Zr) compared to other Vestmannaeyjar lavas, indicating poorly constrained end-member compositions.
Conclusions:
- The Surtsey Magma Series geochemistry reflects mixing processes in ephemeral magma bodies at the edge of an off-axis rift.
- The study highlights the unique magmatic plumbing system of Surtsey in the context of the Iceland plume.
- New data refines our understanding of magma evolution and mixing in this type example of phreatomagmatic eruptions.
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