Volcano-Tectonic Interaction

The early morning sun highlights the topography at the Viti crater, situated next to the Öskjuvatn Lake, Iceland. Geologists measured ground displacement by flying a drone over the lake shores every few years and comparing the changes between successive 3D surface models. We see here a detail of the 2023 orthophoto, generated with >11’000 photos of a Wingtra One GenII drone. While the Viti crater was formed in 1875 and contains acidic (pH 2) and warm (28°C) water, the Öskjuvatn Lake is neutral and cold, explaining the colour change. The Viti crater is about 190 m in diameter for scale.