History and surveillance of volcanic activity on Jan Mayen island

Jan Mayen is a small isolated Arctic island located on or very near the junction of the southern end of Mohns ridge and the central part of the Jan Mayen fracture zone. The alkaline petrology and tectonic setting of Jan Maven are similar to some other volcanic islands along the mid-Atlantic ridge, particularly the Westmann Islands of Iceland. Both the Westmann Islands and Jan Mayen are underlain by a relatively thick oceanic(?) crust, about 15 km thick, and recent eruptions were initiated and accompanied by earthquakes with loci from 25 to 30 km deep. The northern hall of the island is dominated by Mt. Beerenberg, a major central volcano composed mainly of alkali olivine basalt. The oldest exposed lavas are of upper Pleistocene age. Flank eruptions on Beerenberg in 1732, 1818 and 1970, together with historic and cartographic evidence for similar eruptions in the 16^th century and the middle of the 19^th century, suggest an eruption frequency of 150 years ± 75 years. A three-station seismograph network, six surface tilt-measuring sites, and a gravity and levelling profile comprise the main features of the present surveillance system.