6D (2023-2025): A novel magnetometer network to capture the ongoing inflationary episode at Askja volcano, Iceland

• Columbia University

We propose to study the ongoing inflation at Askja volcano, Iceland, using magnetometry. This inflation—which started in August 2021 and is well on its way to reversing over 40 years of cumulative subsidence—suggests recharge of the shallow magmatic storage system beneath Askja caldera as the system primes for the next eruption. We will deploy a network of continuous, 3-component magnetometers to measure the time evolution of the subsurface magmatic system in August 2023. Changes to the distribution of magma should produce observable changes to the local magnetic field, which these instruments will measure. This novel technique is based on recent modeling by Biasi et al. (2022) and a successful deployment at Axial Seamount (Fluegel et al. 2022). The proposed network will complement the existing continuous seismic and geodetic networks, as well as benchmarks used for campaign gravimetry surveys. We will combine a 6 3-component fluxgate magnetometers, similar to those which we have successfully deployed in Alaska in 2022, with a large number (14–15) of experimental, low-cost devices to densify coverage.

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