Jökull


Jökull - 01.12.1984, Page 30

Jökull - 01.12.1984, Page 30
Shallow intrusions of magma are the source of heat for the geothermal area. Meltwater perco- lates down towards the magma intrusions and heat is transferred upwards by hydrothermal con- vection. Björnsson et al. (1982) have suggested that this heat flux can be explained by penetra- tion of water into hot boundaries of magma at shallow depths. Assuming an upper surface area of 10 km2 for a magma body under Grímsvötn, water penetrating into that body would have to propagate at an average rate of 5 m/yr to yield the observed flux of 5000 MW. The geothermal activ- ity, however, is not limited to the lake but scat- tered over a larger area, estimated to be up to 100 km2. The Grímsvötn area is one of the most (if not the most) powerful geothermal systems in Ice- land. So far the heat transfer in the geothermal system upwards to the lake has not been studied. The circulating fluid is probably liquid domin- ated. As the system is situated within the active volcanic area the fluid probably attains a base temperature of 300 to 340 °C and is presumably at the boiling point when it flows as water and steam through vents into the lake. The bottom of the Grímsvötn lake is situated at about 1000 m a.s.l. (Björnsson 1974). The pressure at the lake floor varies from 30 bar at the end of jökulhlaups to 40 bar when the water level has risen to the critical level. Hence, the boiling temperature at the lake floor varies from 235 to 250 °C. The transfer of heat to the lake by steam and water is discussed in the paper. The heat transfer within the lake has not been studied either. Boiling water and steam would be injected into the lake through hydrothermal vents and thermal plumes ascend into the lake. Convection in the lake brings heat up from the floor to a level where the temperature is 4 °C. From that level heat is conducted in a thin layer to the melting ice cover. Meltwater at 0 °C is continuously added to the top of the lake from the ice cover and mixed with warmer water. The conducting layer can hardly remain stable. The hydrothermal vents that inject boiling water to Grímsvötn are located on fissures and scattered spots, which are believed to cover only a small part of the lake floor. The floor between the vents is heated by conduction and is much cooler. Chemical analyses, presented in the paper, show that the concentration of magnesium in water from Grímsvötn is similar to that of cold ground water. The magnesium was leached out of hyaloc- lastites at the lake floor. The leaching cannot have occurred at temperatures exceeding 30-40 °C and the water has not been exposed to higher Fig. 3. Variations of water level in Grímsvötn. 2. mynd. Vatnshœð í Grímsvötnum frá 1954. 28 JÖKULL 34. ÁR
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