Near To Erupt: Mount Keilir Rift Valley In Iceland Reykjanes Peninsula

You can watch the live event here. Please don’t forget to subscribe:
https://youtu.be/_BGUNkpAYfo

These two cameras looks at Fagradalsfjall and Keilir:

https://youtu.be/BA-9QzIcr3c

https://youtu.be/mPKJwoPEtKI

This camera provides a panoramic view of both:

https://youtu.be/lw9PLG6wx4s

Here is another Live cam which scans the whole area every few seconds:

https://www.livefromiceland.is/webcams/keilir/

Mt. Keilir is a hyaloclastite mountain, meaning it is made from angular, glassy rock formed by volcanic eruptions underneath an ice sheet.

The Reykjanes Peninsula contains a short section of the main fault/spreading rift that affects Iceland. It is an unusual section though: it is the only transtensional fault found on land in Iceland. ‘Transtensional’ means that it is a combination of a transform fault and a rift. The spreading rate here is about 8 mm/yr. Many of the quakes of the current series are associated with a section of this fault.
The northwestern part of Reykjanes Peninsula has three main lava shields, from east to west, Hrútagjá, Thráinskjöldur and Sandfellshaed. They are half-shields where the lava flowed (as pahoehoe) north but not south. They summits are some 200 meters above sea level and the slopes are very shallow. Thráinskjöldur covers 20 km2. It is dissected by many faults, including those currently active. Keilir sits on the lava field of Thráinskjöldur.

The three shields formed about 9,000-10,000 years ago. Together they contain 15 km3, which is 75% of all magma erupted in Reykjanes in the past 10,000 years. The magma production was associated with decompression when the icecap melted.

Keilir is sitting on this shield. It is however older than the shield. The cone formed from an eruption underneath the ice cap, which melted through the ice only at the very end. It must have been taller than it is now, when it formed between 10,000 and 100,000 years ago. The shield came later and covered some of it up.

Volcanoes here are monogenetic. It is very unlikely that Keilir will erupt again. But the current activity may result in an eruption in its environment. As shown by Kongsfell, eruptions tend to go for the end point of the fault, and the fault is currently ending just 1-2 kilometers east of Keilir.

Will it erupt? This is the million Euro question. It is trying hard. But that is never a guarantee.