Extensive geophysical surveys are now taking place in the large central volcano Krafla in northeast Iceland, as a part of the EU-funded Marie-Curie ETN project IMPROVE. One of the main aims of this work within IMPROVE is to try to better understand the relationship between the magma in the roots of Krafla and the overlying geothermal system.

The current research effort in Krafla will continue until early July.  There are 30-40 people working on the measurements.  The largest effort is being put into detailed studies of earthquake activity and surveys of the resistivity of the area. The experiments aim at finding with greater accuracy than has been possible before the places where magma lies at shallow depth.  Other surveys include studying surface deformation, variations in gravity, the chemistry of the geothermal fluid, flow of CO2 and other aspects of the geothermal activity.

Specimens of minerals known as zeolites, collected in Breiðdalur in the East Fjords, play a key role in a new discovery by a team of scientists in the US and Iceland. The researchers believe that these minerals could be used to quantify long-term temperature changes. Among the researchers is Tobias Björn Weisenberger, geoscientist and director of the new UI Research Centre in Breiðdalsvík. The findings have been published in Communications Earth and Environment, a new open access journal established by Nature Portfolio.