Current Research

Icelandic volcanism 

I  am an igneous petrologist and the focus of my research is Icelandic volcanism. I use geological observations and geochemical microanalysis in order to understand the plumbing system of large and active volcanoes in Iceland. I have recently completed a thorough geochemical survey of the Askja volcano in northern Iceland and have used petrology and mapping to examine how the generation, storage and transfer of magma under Askja has lead to the development of a large central caldera flanked by fissure eruptions. The 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull mobilised a large number of volcanologists, and I have carried out analyses of the volatile contents of olivine and plagioclase hosted melt inclusions from this eruption in order to constrain magma storage depths and the history of magmatic degassing.

Presently I am working on a reconstruction of the magmatic degassing prior to the gigantic fissure eruption of Laki that took place in SE Iceland in AD 1783. This large eruption had significant societal impact in the northern hemisphere, and I am part of a team that is trying to use petrology to better understand the processes that occur in the lead-up to such eruptions. In particular, I am measuring the CO2 content of olivine-hosted melt inclusions by a combination of ion probe and Raman spectroscopy. With better understanding of the CO2 release before large fissure eruptions, we will attempt to evaluate the utility of a CO2 monitoring network in SE Iceland.

  

Caption:
1) Photograph of large scoria cones that were generated by the AD 1783 Laki fissure eruption in SE Iceland.
2)Map of the Laki eruption, showing the progression of the lava flow front during 1783.  

 


Publications: 2006-Present

Last updated on 04-May-12 14:49