The biggest research project on the volcanic island of Surtsey since its creation, between 1963 and 1967, begins this August when a group of international scientists, lead by Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, professor in geophysics at the University of Iceland and Marie Jackson, associate professor at the University of Utah launch their research. The plan is to drill two holes in the island and use the data retrieved in various and complicated research. The project title is SUSTAIN and it receives funding from numerous international funds; including German, Norwegian, American and Icelandic ones.
"The goal with SUSTAIN is to shed light on how a volcanic island is formed and develops by bringing together volcanology, geophysics, geochemistry, engineering geology, and microbiology," says Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson.
"The Surtsey-eruption from 1963 to 1967 is among the most famous geological events in the world in the second part of the 20th century.
The eruption showed how land is built during an eruption in the ocean and also brought into light the nature of volcanic activity where water and magma collide,” Magnús says.
Magnús Tumi says the island has a special place in science since man has been able to track its evolution from the beginning. "Birds, insects and seals have found their homes on Surtsey and strange organisms have settled in the rocks that form the island. Geothermal heat has changed the loose tephra into tuff that can better withstand the surrounding ocean. Surtsey thus provides rare research opportunities for volcanic activity, land formation and biosphere."
Magnús Tumi says that SUSTAIN's main task is drilling in Surtsey. “The plan is to take two drill cores, a 200-meter vertical core and a core from a 300-meter angled hole. The inner build and evolution of geothermal heat on the island will be researched as an example of a short-lived geothermal system in a rift zone of an oceanic crust,” Micro-organisms and their role on the island will also be researched. The vertical drill hole will be used for decades to come as a sub-terranean research lab to monitor, take samples and conduct experiments that will describe long-term development in the interaction of micro-organisms, oceanic crust and rock."
Magnús Tumi says the task at hand is complicated as they need to transport all the equipment by boat and helicopter to the island. They will, however, have the help of the Icelandic Coast Guard for transportation. "This is one of the largest and most complicated research operations in Icelandic history . Surtsey is a UNESCO World Heritage site so it is necessary to tread carefully so as to not disrupt the undisturbed nature of the island. There will be a group of ten to twelve people on average located in Surtsey during the project, but The Environment Agency of Iceland will monitor the strict regulations of conduct. The group will in total include around 50 people, not all of whom will go to Surtsey."
The scientists that are involved in the research are from Iceland, the United States, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia.