Lava from 2021 Icelandic eruption gives rare view of deep churnings beneath volcano

After centuries without volcanic activity, Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula sprang to life in 2021 when lava erupted from the Fagradalsfjall volcano. New research involving the University of Cambridge helps us see what is going on deep beneath the volcano by reading the chemistry of lavas and volcanic gases almost as they were erupted. I've looked at hundreds of samples from dead volcanoes, but never had the chance to observe such a spectacular example of magma mixing in real-time John Maclennan The study , published in the journal Nature and led by the University of Iceland, reports that the eruption was unusual because it was supplied by a particularly deep reservoir of magma originating around 15 kilometres beneath the surface, at the base of Earth's crust. Their results also show that volcanoes like this can be fed by complex plumbing systems, where different batches of magma can mix and travel to the surface in just a matter of days or weeks. The researchers took measurements of lava and volcanic gases during the first 50 days of the eruption - giving them a near-real time report on the changing magma supply. -I never expected to see the chemical composition of erupting lava change this quickly, showing us just how fast things can change in the depths beneath volcanoes,- said Simon Matthews from the University of Iceland. The chemical fingerprint of lavas and the crystals inside them - together with the volcanic gases erupted - helped the researchers decode where the magma originated from and its journey to the surface.