A dynamic mid-crustal magma domain revealed by the 2023 to 2024 Sundhnúksgígar eruptions in Iceland

Abstract

Mid-crustal magma domains are the source of many basaltic eruptions. Lavas from individual eruptions are often chemically homogeneous, suggesting they derive from single well-mixed magma reservoirs. The 2023-2024 eruptions at Sundhnúksgígar in the Svartsengi volcanic system, Iceland, provide an opportunity to observe the behavior of a mid-crustal magma domain at high spatial and temporal resolution by detailed sampling and geochemical characterization. We observed substantial mantle-derived geochemical variability in the products erupted in the first hours of the December 2023, January, February, and March-May 2024 eruptions, indicating the eruptions derived from multiple magma reservoirs, which mineral-melt equilibration pressures place in the mid-crust. The unusual presence of geochemical heterogeneity in the mid-crustal magma domain provides an insight into how dynamic and complex mid-crustal magma domains can be.