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ESP at Hekla volcano Iceland

Standing on Melfell hyaloclastite.

Members of the ESP team conducted fieldwork at Hekla volcano, Iceland between the 6th and 10th of August 2018. The aim was to study and sample lava flows from some of Hekla’s biggest eruption events in the years: 1766-68, 1845 and 1947-48. The fieldwork is related to Rikke Vestergaard’s MSc thesis project supervised by Dr. Gro B. M. Pedersen (University of Iceland) and Prof. Christian Tegner (Aarhus University). The study will focus on applying remote sensing, petrology and geochemistry to extend the understanding of the eruptive record at Hekla. This includes lava flow mapping, estimation of average thicknesses and volumes from digital elevation models combined with historical records. The samples were collected to span the different phases of the eruptions and will be analyzed petrographically and geochemically to examine potential differences in magma compositions and flow dynamics during the eruptions, and the relationship between magma composition and repose time between eruptions.