Blog

Hallarmúli has similar composition as Hekla according to Haukur Jóhannsson and Kristján Sæmundsson (http://www.isor.is/sites/isor.is/files/Jar%C3%B0fr%C3%A6%C3%B0i%20og%20gossaga%20vestara%20gosbeltisins%20-%20Haukur%20J%C3%B3hannesson%20og%20Kristj%C3%A1n%20S%C3%A6mundsson.pdf)

Hallarmúli is measured to be about 6 million years old, and with the velocity of close to 2 cm a year, it should have drifted this far away from Hekla. It is also in accordance with the direction of the vectors.

This is a proof that the drift vectors, measured with GPS technology in 2004 compared with 1993 point locations, show real drift direction and speed. Actually, the proof is double, because a fault zone is accompanied with the sites of Hekla and Hallarmúli as shown below:

In 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eurupted. Its location is interesting, as the crater is in the middle of a polygon. It is directly south of Hekla, which is in the north corner of the same polygon. The craters of Vatnafjöll and Tindfjöll are also on that line.

Countless examples like this one show how the convection rolls shape the surface.

The West Volcanic Zone is narrower than the East Volcanic Zone. It is not as active either. Thingvellir has the calculated alignment of convection rolls, and we can then analyse the formations due to horizontal forces of tectonic drift.

The polygon of Thingvellir is subject to pulling to NW, and a compromise of tension is drawn with blue lines. This compromise also is the decisive factor for the width of the volcanic zone. Lake Thingvallavatn fits into the resulting pattern. The rift valley extending to the NE from the end of Thingvallavatn has then the exact alignment of convection rolls underneath.

The convection roll under this polygon rolls from west to east, opposing the general tectonic drift of the North American tectonic plate extending all the way to the Pacific Coast of N-America, thereby causing rifting like seen in the graben of Thingvellir.

The East Volcanic Zone is divided into 5 parts shown here:

Each of those polygons is somehow special, and No. 1 fits the area often pointed out as the hot spot of Iceland. It is being pulled to the east and south (as the blue lines show local downwelling) against the main drift direction towards NW. No. 2 and 3 belong to rift zone, but 4 and 5 are sometimes called South Volcanic Zone, because it all belongs to the Eurasian tectonic plate and is not being torn apart. No. 4 is the area of Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull, and No. 5 is the polygon of Vestmannaeyjar.

The lower mantle is divided along the middle of the Atlantic. This division line becomes double within the intersection zone at the latitudes of Iceland.

If there was just one line, it would be easy to understand. (If it was so easy, it would probably have been found out at least 100 years ago.) It is difficult to understand, because there are actually two lines.

Tracing the calculated lines of division lines, the main central lower division lines are found:

The crossings are found at 64°N and 21°10’W in the slopes of Reykjafell mountain (meaning Steam Mountain) at the side of the town Hveragerði (meaning Hot Spring Town). That point is found directly north of the middle point of the Atlantic at equator ( 0°N and 21°10’W).

The plane of each convecting cell section shoul be parallel to the rotation plane of Earth at other latitudes too. The centrifugal force constantly affects a moving particle of the flowing and convecting mantle. That has to be kept in mind, understanding the proportions of the convection rolls extending north and south from equator. An hours lecture would clarify further what is meant by that 🙂