4 August, 2015 – The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) is participating in the study of the Krafla volcano in Iceland. The INGV is one of the partners leading an international team of volcanologists and engineers in the innovative “Krafla Magma Drilling Project.” The goal is to sample the deep magma of the volcano, located in the north of the island. The researchers want to establish a permanent infrastructure for the study and test directly the deep magma chamber within the volcano in Iceland, making it the first magma observatory in the world. Over the summer, INGV researchers will conduct experiments on Krafla to define the status of the volcano and of the magma chamber before drilling operations begin in summer 2016. The research group aims to obtain direct information on the characteristics of the magma before an eruption, allowing them to test theoretical models and decades of speculation about the state of deep magmas. The study will bring to an advanced understanding of the conditions that precede a volcanic eruption and an evaluation of the ability to extract energy in safe conditions from similar volcanoes, such as the Campi Flegrei. The project will be financed by the consortium International Continental Drilling Program, the same that studied the San Andreas Fault in California, and currently works with the INGV in the scientific drilling of Campi Flegrei within the Campi Flegrei Deep Drilling Project.
