What is the volume of the accumulated magma under Svartsengi?

The magma that has accumulated under the Svartsengi is slightly smaller in volume than Öskjuhlíð and about one-third of Mt Keilir .

This is the answer from Professor of Geophysics, Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, to a question on the Icelandic Web of Science. The question asks for a graphical comparison to understand the size of the 14 to 16 million cubic meters of magma that have accumulated under Svartsengi with the associated land inflation.

“The volume of Keilir is about 40 million m3, so the magma that has accumulated under the Svartsengi area is only about 1/3 of the mountain Keilir, which is a very small mountain. Úlfarsfell in the countryside of Reykjavík and Mosfellsbær is, for example, about 20 times the volume of Keilir,” Guðmundsson says.

It is also stated that Öskjuhlíð is approximately circular shaped, about 1 km in diameter, and 50 m high. If Öskjuhlíð were a cone, its volume would be about 13 million m3. Since its top is somewhat flatter than cones, the volume of Öskjuhlíð is about 20 million m3.

“In short, the magma that has accumulated under Svartsengi is only slightly smaller in volume than Öskjuhlíð.”