Objectives

Surface observables as seismicity, surface deformation, gravity or MT-data on Iceland and the entire North Atlantic region are strongly related to the interaction of a rising plume and diverging plates on various spatial and temporal scales. While the far field observations are mainly caused by mantle flow and the viscoelastic response of the lithosphere, reflecting the internal rheologial structure, the near-field observations on Iceland are the result of continuous and brittle deformations triggered by magma intrusions and formation of new crust above the plume center. Numerical modelling is the suitable instrument for understanding the physics of interior mass transport and stress accumulation in the earth. By employing different types of observations on various temporal and spatial scales, it is possible to infer a number of characteristics for plume/ridge interaction. Numerical dynamic modelling will help to relate short time scale deformations on Iceland to geological plate tectonic movements; it further allows to investigate the physics of melt generation and ascent and to predict the propagation of strain waves through the Icelandic crust following an intrusion event, which is very significant for research towards seismic and volcanic hazard assessment.