Modelling of the earthquake related space-time behaviour of the stress field in the fault system of southern Iceland

The work described here is a direct continuation of work carried out during the last part of PRENLAB-1, to obtain forward models of the stress field and stress changes in the South Iceland seismic zone (SISZ).

This proposal has the target to model the space-time development of the stress field using data on strain and stress changes from the other experiments and from databases.

Two models were prepared during PRENLAB-1:

• A model of the South Iceland seismic zone and the adjacent part of the eastern volcanic zone.
• A scheme comprising the main ridge parts on Iceland and the North Atlantic ridge to the north and to the south of the island, including both faults and the load due to Katla and Hekla volcanoes.

It was modelled:

• The changes in crustal strain and stress due to earthquakes and aseismic movement in the fault system of the South Iceland seismic zone.
• The interaction of faults.
• The mutual influence between volcanic and earthquake activity, e.g. magmatic upwelling and shearing at fault zones.