Formation and growth of normal faults at the divergent plate boundary in Iceland

The divergent plate boundary in Iceland is characterized by 40–80 km long and 5–10 km wide swarms of tension fractures (∼10² m long) and normal faults (∼10³ m long). The upper part of the crust is mainly composed of lava flows, with abundant columnar joints that are mostly perpendicular to the lava contacts. The lava flows are horizontal at the surface of the rift zone but become tilted at the rate of 1° for every 150 m depth in the crust. At the surface of the rift zone the joints are vertical and parallel to the vertical principal stress. Because of tilting of the lava pile, the columnar joints become oblique to this stress, hence becoming potential shear fractures, and form echelon sets at greater depths in the crust. Theoretical considerations suggest that normal faults start to nucleate on sets of en echelon columnar joints and/or large-scale tension fractures at crustal depths of 0.5–1.5 km. The width (depth) must be the smallest (controlling) dimension of many faults. Nevertheless, there is a positive linear relation (r = 0.91) between maximum throw and length of the Holocene faults. If the faults grow as self-similar structures, the throw-length relationship can be explained by a similar relation between fault length and width.     

On the structure and formation of fracture zones

Studies of the oceanic fracture zones, as well as field observations of the on-land parts of a fracture zone in Iceland, show that there are numerous tension fractures, normal faults, small-scale grabens and dykes within, and trending subparallel with, the fracture zones. These structures indicate that, in addition to the shear displacement, there is considerable extension associated with the development of fracture zones and that many of them may be regarded as complex graben structures. The ridges surrounding the continents of Africa and Antarctica are examples of mid-ocean ridges that are moving away from the continental margins where they originated and therefore expanding. Here it is suggested that as the perimeter of an expanding ridge increases, the tensile stresses associated with the ridge extension may contribute to the formation of fracture zones.     

Stratigraphy and paleomagnetism of a 2.9-km composite lava section in Eyjafjördur,Northern Iceland: a reconnaissance study

Eight mountainside profiles in lava flows south of the fjord Eyjafjördur, Northern Iceland, were sampled for paleomagnetic studies. The sampling was concurrent with pilot stratigraphic mapping of the lava sequences in these and several supplementary profiles. The eight profiles are correlated with minor overlaps so that they form a composite section of 2.9 km thickness, estimated to cover the age range between about 9 and 5 million years ago (Hardarson et al. 1999). Paleomagnetic measurements made on 319 lavas generally yield primary remanence directions of high stability and within-unit consistency. Evidence for at least 17 reversals of the geomagnetic field is seen, as well as numerous field excursions. Frequent clustering of directions in successive lavas indicates that the volcanism was episodic.     

The effects of layering and local stresses in composite volcanoes on dyke emplacement and volcanic hazards

Since most volcanic eruptions are fed by dykes, any assessment of volcanic hazards in an area must include an evaluation of the probability of injected dykes either reaching the surface or becoming arrested. Composite volcanoes are normally composed of alternating stiff (high Young's modulus) and soft (low Young's modulus) layers. Numerical models indicate that during unrest periods with magma-chamber inflation, the local stresses in composite volcanoes commonly prevent dyke-fed eruptions: while the stresses in the stiff layers may favour dyke propagation and seismogenic faulting, the local stresses in the soft layer remain seismically quiet and favour dyke arrest. Geodetic and field studies also indicate that most dykes never reach the surface, and that only a small fraction of the magma volume injected from a chamber erupts at the surface. I propose that for a dyke-fed eruption to occur, all the layers along the potential pathway of the dyke must have local stresses that favour magma-driven extension-fracture propagation. Thus, the stress field along the pathway must be homogenised. To cite this article: A. Gudmundsson, C. R. Geoscience 337 (2005).     

Propagation pathways and fluid transport of hydrofractures in jointed and layered rocks in geothermal fields

Palaeofluid-transporting systems, observed as networks of mineral-filled veins in deeply eroded parts of extinct geothermal fields, indicate that hydrofractures commonly supply fluids to geothermal fields. Here we examine well-exposed vein networks that occur at crustal depths of around 1.5 km below the initial surface of the Tertiary lava pile in North Iceland. The veins are located in the damage zone of a major fault zone that dissects basaltic lava flows, the most common host rocks of geothermal fields in Iceland. The lava flows contain numerous weaknesses, particularly columnar (cooling) joints and contacts. For hydrofractures to supply fluids to geothermal fields, the fractures must be able to propagate, and transport fluids, to the surface. We explore hydrofracture pathway formation using boundary-element models of hydrofractures with fluid overpressure varying linearly from 10 MPa at the fracture centre to 0 MPa at the fracture tip (or the fluid front). The hydrofractures propagate through a vertically jointed and horizontally layered pile of lava flows with a general rock-matrix Young’s modulus of 1×10¹⁰ Pa and a Poisson’s ratio of 0.25. The joints and contacts between layers are modelled as internal springs, each with a stiffness (‘strength’) of 6 MPa/m. The location and sizes of discontinuities, as well as the location of the hydrofracture tip, vary between the models. The results indicate that tensile stresses generated at the tip of an overpressured hydrofracture can open up horizontal and vertical discontinuities out to a considerable distance from the tip, and that these discontinuities eventually link up to form the hydrofracture pathway. Analytical models indicate that for a hot spring of a given yield associated with a fault, the dimensions of the fluid-transporting part of the fault are likely to be similar for a typical normal fault and a strike-slip fault. Also, a hot spring of yield 180 l/s (the maximum in the low-temperature fields of Iceland) can be supplied through a hydrofracture of aperture 3 mm and trace length 1.2 m. These dimensions are very similar to those of typical veins in the studied networks. Buoyancy, rather than excess pressure in the fluid source, appears to be the primary driving force of hydrofractures in the geothermal fields of Iceland.     

Thermal condition of Surtsey

The island Surtsey was created by a submarine volcanic eruption which started on the 14th of November 1963, 21 km southwest of the Westman Islands. Volcanic activity continued in this area for nearly 4 years. During the summer of 1979 a 181 m deep continuously cored borehole was drilled on the Surtsey island. Several temperature profiles have been measured in the hole since 1979. The results of these temperature measurements are used as the basis for a discussion of the thermal condition of Surtsey. The hypothesis that intrusions rather than pillow lavas are responsible for the excess heat content of Surtsey is favored. It is found that the 13 m thick discontinuous dike complex, observed in the drill core, is sufficient to explain the excess heat content in the vicinity of the borehole and the shape of the temperature profiles recorded. It is demonstrated that the heat transfer in Surtsey has been dominated by hydrothermal convection and that the system is vapor dominated above sea level. It is estimated that the permeability of a 40 m thick section of altered tuff below sea level is 4.1 × 10⁻¹³ m², while the permeability of the unaltered tuff above sea level is estimated as 1.2 × 10⁻¹⁰ m².     

Evolution of Stress Fields and Faulting in Seismic Zones

—Measurements indicate that stress magnitudes in the crust are normally limited by the frictional equilibrium on pre-existing, optimally oriented faults. Fault zones where these limitations are frequently reached are referred to as seismic zones. Fault zones in the crust concentrate stresses because their material properties are different from those of the host rock. Most fault zones are spatially relatively stable structures, however the associated seismicity in these zones is quite variable in space and time. Here we propose that this variability is attributable to stress-concentration zones that migrate and expand through the fault zone. We suggest that following a large earthquake and the associated stress relaxation, shear stresses of a magnitude sufficient to produce earthquakes occur only in those small parts of the seismic zone that, because of material properties and boundary conditions, encourage concentration of shear stress. During the earthquake cycle, the conditions for seismogenic fault slip migrate from these stress-concentration regions throughout the entire seismic zone. Thus, while the stress-concentration regions continue to produce small slips and small earthquakes throughout the seismic cycle, the conditions for slip and earthquakes are gradually reached in larger parts of, and eventually the whole, seismogenic layer of the seismic zone. Prior to the propagation of an earthquake fracture that gives rise to a large earthquake, the stress conditions in the zone along the whole potential rupture plane must be essentially similar. This follows because if they were not, then, on entering crustal parts where the state of stress was unfavourable to this type of faulting, the fault propagation would be arrested. The proposed necessary homogenisation of the stress field in a seismic zone as a precursor to large earthquakes implies that by monitoring the state of stress in a seismic zone, its large earthquakes may possibly be forecasted. We test the model on data from Iceland and demonstrate that it broadly explains the historical, as well as the current, patterns of seismogenic faulting in the South Iceland Seismic Zone.     

Volcanoes as elastic inclusions: Their effects on the propagation of dykes,volcanic fissures,and volcanic zones in Iceland

Mechanically, many volcanoes may be regarded as elastic inclusions, either softer (with a lower Young's modulus) or stiffer (with a higher Young's modulus) than the host-rock matrix. For example, many central volcanoes (stratovolcanoes, composite volcanoes) are composed of rocks that are softer than the crustal segments that host them. This is particularly clear in Iceland where central volcanoes are mostly made of soft rocks such as rhyolite, pyroclastics, hyaloclastites, and sediments whereas the host rock is primarily stiff basaltic lava flows. Most active central volcanoes also contain fluid magma chambers, and many have collapse calderas. Fluid magma chambers are best modelled as cavities (in three dimensions) or holes (in two dimensions), entire calderas as holes, and the ring faults themselves, which commonly include soft materials such as breccias, as soft inclusions. Many hyaloclastite (basaltic breccias) mountains partly buried in the basaltic lava pile also function as soft inclusions. Modelling volcanoes as soft inclusions or holes, we present three main numerical results. The first, using the hole model, shows the mechanical interaction between all the active central volcanoes in Iceland and, in particular, those forming the two main clusters at the north and south end of the East Volcanic Zone (EVZ). The strong indication of mechanical interaction through shared dykes and faults in the northern cluster of the EVZ is supported by observations. The second model, using a soft inclusion, shows that the Torfajökull central volcano, which contains the largest active caldera in Iceland, suppresses the spreading-generated tensile stress in its surroundings. We propose that this partly explains why the proper rift zone northeast of Torfajökull has not managed to propagate through the volcano. Apparently, Torfajökull tends to slow down the rate of southwest propagation of the rift-zone part of the EVZ. The third model, again using a soft inclusion, indicates how the lateral propagation of a segment of the 1783 Laki fissure became arrested in the slopes of the hyaloclastite mountain Laki.