Iceland and the ocean floor. Comparison of chemical characteristics of the magmatic rocks and some volcanic features

The volcanism in Iceland occurs on both rift zones and non-rifting zones. The rift zone volcanism produces rock suites of the tholeiitic series, ranging from primitive tholeiites (MORB) to highly silicic rocks. The non-rifting volcanic zones produce rock suites of transitional to mildly alkaline or even calc-alkaline composition, the basalts typically being FETI-basalts. Over 50 per cent of the rift zone production in Iceland is of the primitive MORB-type. The relative amount of the evolved rock types, as well as the total volcanic production increases inland along the rift zones. The rock types of the Icelandic rift zones are identical to those of the submerged oceanic rift zones, but the Icelandic production is somewhat offset towards a more voluminous evolved end. The skewness in volume relations of rock types, as compared to the oceanic rifts in general, is mainly caused by the products of the non-rifting volcanic zones of Iceland and only to a small degree by the rift zone products.