RHYOLITE VOLCANISM AT ORÆFAJOKULL VOLCANO, S.E. ICELAND - A WINDOW ON QUATERNARY CLIMATE CHANGE

Abstract

Oræfajökull is an ice-capped stratovolcano situated in the south east of Iceland which has developed throughout the mid to late Quaternary. It has erupted basaltic and rhyolitic lavas during interglacial and glacial periods, many of which display strong physical evidence of volcano-ice interaction. This makes Oræfajökull an ideal location to reconstruct terrestrial palaeo-environments. The area of Goðafjall and Hrútsfjall is one of a small number of rhyolitic depositional centres situated on the south west flanks of the volcano and is the first rhyolitic area of Oræfajökull to be mapped in detail.The relatively high K content of the rhyolitic units make them good candidates for 40Ar/39Ar dating, yielding eruption ages that provide a temporal constraint on the development of the stratovolcano.40Ar/39Ar dating of young rocks (

Date of Award	31 Jul 2012
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Raymond Burgess (Supervisor)