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Grabens, or valleys formed during extensional tectonic events, are common but rarely observed during formation. In November 2023, inelastic surface deformation formed abruptly along Iceland's plate boundary in Grindavík. We documented graben formation in real‐time through satellite mapping (InSAR), seismicity, GNSS data, repeated lidar surveys, and field mapping. Five normal faults and ∼12 fissures ruptured the surface delineating two grabens separated by a horst, a context not present in other contemporary case studies. The graben normal faults slipped rapidly (over hours) and maximum surface motions coincided with the occurrence of turbulent seismic swarms in both space and time. Although 3 eruptions took place ∼15 km northeast of Grindavík from 2021 to 2023, attributed to magma intrusions (i.e., dikes), none of these also formed grabens. Thus, the Grindavík grabens shows evidence for tectonic origins. Real‐time monitoring of these phenomena provide insight into graben formation on Earth and potentially on other planets. Plain Language Summary: Valleys known as grabens, typically caused by extensional tectonic events, are a common geological feature, yet their formation is rarely observed. In November 2023, such two grabens suddenly emerged along the boundary between tectonic plates in the town of Grindavík, Iceland. The grabens were shaped by tectonic activity expressed by a swarm of earthquakes and associated ground deformation and resulted in normal faults rupturing the surface and cutting through houses, linear infrastructure including water pipelines and roads within Grindavík. We document the grabens and horst in real time using satellite mapping (InSAR), geodetic GPS data, repeated drone surveys, field mapping, and seismic recordings from a local seismic network. The combination of these data provide unprecedented level of precision in characterizing surface and sub‐surface deformations, especially when maximum surface motions correlate with a turbulent seismic activity in both space and time. Critically, following the formation of the grabens, a series of intensive through short‐lived eruptions happened in December 2023, January 2024, February 2024, March, and May 2024 within the northernmost portion of the grabens. Our observations provide valuable insights into the natural laboratory of Iceland and contribute to the understanding of plate tectonics both on Earth and other planets. Key Points: The 2023 seismic swarm and extension lead to a graben forming that coincides in time and space along Iceland's plate boundaryDuring 2021 to December 2023 only one tectonic graben formed, although 4 eruptions have taken placeThe graben in Grindavík, Iceland is wider at the surface than most recently documented grabens (∼4,500 m vs. <1,000 m) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Volcanic eruptions generate continuous or episodic tremor, which can provide unrivaled information about activity changes during eruption. However, the wealth of information in episodic tremor patterns is often not harvested and transitions between patterns remain obscure. The 2021 Geldingadalir eruption, Iceland, is an exceptional case, where the lava effusion caused continuous tremor, and 8698 tremor episodes spanning two orders of magnitude in duration and repose. Based on seismometer and video camera data, we associate several‐minute‐long, symmetrical episodes with an open vent system, where lava remains in the crater bowl during repose, connected to a shallow magma compartment. Ramp‐shaped episodes, lasting several hours, are associated with a temporary closure of the vent system, where no lava remains in the crater bowl during repose and more time is required to resume effusion. The transition from continuous to episodic effusion is related to the cumulative time spent in effusion and repose, and to external factors like crater wall collapses. The range of observed eruption styles and shifts between them, took place at unchanged magma supply rate. This underpins the importance of processes, geometry and evolution of the shallow conduit with time.] Plain Language Summary: Volcanic eruptions can provide unrivaled information about the subsurface structure and processes driving it. Often effusion happens continuous over a time span. However, sometimes the effusion starts and stops and is hence episodic. During the 2021 Geldingadalir eruption, Iceland the lava flowed continuously from the vent but later stopped 8698 times. Some of these episodes where a few minutes long, while others lasted several hours. We interpret several‐minute‐long episodes as an open system, where lava remains in the crater during repose. This system can restart fast and easy. During several hour‐long episodes, no lava remains in the crater during repose. The system needs more time to reopen the vent. The system also reacts depending on the time it is in repose or effusion. And finally, external factors like crater wall collapses modify the episodic pattern. The most interesting feature is the range of eruption styles and transitions between them, that occurred at constant magma inflow rate and are hence caused by the shallow conduit. Key Points: The 2021 Geldingadalir eruption, Iceland, featured 8698 tremor episodes of minute to week durationAn open vent system with lava residing in the crater during repose featured minute‐long lava effusion with bell‐ or rectangle‐shaped tremorA semi‐closed vent system with no lava residing in the crater featured hour‐long lava effusion with ramp‐shaped tremor [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclic behaviour is observed in volcanic phenomena ranging from caldera collapses to explosions, spattering or lava fountaining. The repeating processes can define irregular, regular or systematically changing patterns. These patterns yield information about the subsurface structure, which often is not considered in detail. We analyse the pattern of 7058 lava fountaining episodes that occur between 2 May and 14 June 2021 during the Geldingadalir eruption, Iceland. Our seismometer records the lava fountaining episodes as tremor episodes. We analyse the seismic tremor amplitude, the episode duration, the repose time and the sum of episode duration and repose time (cycle duration). We define six periods characterised by different patterns: Three periods feature long episodes that exponentially shorten with time. One period features coexisting long and short episodes in a haphazard sequence. One period shows a stable pulsing duration but increasing repose time, and one period has stable, short episodes and repose times. We conclude that the episodic fountaining starts because a shallow-conduit container forms on 2 May shifting the magma degassing from sustained continuous to an episodic state. This situation evolves until 11 May when a semi-stable state is reached. The length of the repose times is most likely influenced by the amount of outgassed magma present in the uppermost part of the shallow conduit. Finally, we suggest that the vent is mechanically eroded and widens with time causing increasing seismic tremor amplitudes. However, the trends are frequently punctuated by partial crater wall collapses that temporarily disrupt the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magma flow during volcanic eruptions causes surface deformation that can be used to constrain the location, geometry and internal pressure evolution of the underlying magmatic source. The height of the volcanic plumes during explosive eruptions also varies with magma flow rate, in a nonlinear way. In May 2011, an explosive eruption at Grímsvötn Volcano, Iceland, erupted about 0.27 km3 dense-rock equivalent of basaltic magma in an eruption plume that was about 20 km high. Here we use Global Positioning System (GPS) and tilt data, measured before and during the eruption at Grímsvötn Volcano, to show that the rate of pressure change in an underlying magma chamber correlates with the height of the volcanic plume over the course of the eruption. We interpret ground deformation of the volcano, measured by geodesy, to result from a pressure drop within a magma chamber at about 1.7 km depth. We estimate the rate of magma discharge and the associated evolution of the plume height by differentiating the co-eruptive pressure drop with time. The time from the initiation of the pressure drop to the onset of the eruption was about 60 min, with about 25% of the total pressure change preceding the eruption. Near-real-time geodetic observations can thus be useful for both timely eruption warnings and for constraining the evolution of volcanic plumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Products of subglacial volcanism can illuminate reconstructions of paleo-environmental conditions on both local and regional scales. Competing interpretations of Pleistocene conditions in south Iceland have been proposed based on an extensive sequence of repeating lava-and-hyaloclastite deposits in the Síða district. We propose here a new eruptive model and refine the glacial environment during eruption based on field research and analytical data for the Síða district lava/hyaloclastite units. Field observations from this and previous studies reveal a repeating sequence of cogenetic lava and hyaloclastite deposits extending many kilometers from their presumed eruptive source. Glasses from lava selvages and unaltered hyaloclastites have very low HO, S, and CO concentrations, indicating significant degassing at or close to atmospheric pressure prior to quenching. We also present a scenario that demonstrates virtual co-emplacement of the two eruptive products. Our data and model results suggest repeated eruptions under thin ice or partially subaerial conditions, rather than eruption under a thick ice sheet or subglacial conditions as previously proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The 2500 BP Hverfjall eruption in northern Iceland produced pyroclastic and effusive deposits of widely different characteristics along the length of the eruptive fissure. The southern half of the fissure was located in a shallow lake, whereas the northern part of the fissure extended onto dry land. This specific setting, with overlapping periods of activity at the different vents, resulted in various mingling features between fine-grained phreatomagmatic deposits and lava flows. Here we reconstruct the course of events during this eruption based on field observations and granulometric analyses of the resulting deposits. The eruption can be divided into three main phases depending on the main depositional characteristics and vent locations. The initial phase is dominated by phreatomagmatic fall deposits which are attributed to an overall high eruption rate in a shallow lacustrine setting. The second phases involved opening of two new vents on dry ground, and deposition of scoria and lava flows. The third and final phase of the eruption is associated with a lowering of the eruption rate in the southernmost vent, with a shift in the activity from continuous uprush and fall deposits to discrete explosions and emplacement of base surges. These surges display features consistent with drying up with increasing distance from the vent, suggesting that their dynamics changed during emplacement. Most wet surges were channelized within a preexisting graben structure close to the vent, but some more dilute (i.e., dry) surges were able to flow over this obstacle and continued to flow for more than 5km away from the vent and 100m uphill before stopping. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Along the Reykjanes Ridge from 63°10′N to 63°50′N we identify 10 en-echelon shallow closely spaced axial volcanic ridges (AVR). The AVRs are confined to the crest of the Reykjanes Ridge. This has been suggested to imply intense tectonic erosion of the ridges and subsequent sediment covering as they drift off axis. All AVRs studied are small and their length does not exceed that of individual eruptive fissures on land. Recent seismic activity is concentrated near Fuglasker seamount and the two AVRs in the Húllið graben. Tectonic strike changes drastically at the Skerjadjúp graben from N28°E to N40°E. Historic volcanic activity has been intense in this area with up to 14 eruptions, the last confirmed eruption occurring in 1926. New multibeam and backscatter data in the area of AVR 1 and the northernmost tip of AVR 2 show that the ridges were created by multiple eruptions, with clearly defined volcanic centres or cones, in contrast to monogenetic Pleistocene hyaloclastite ridges on land in Iceland with similar dimensions. In this area there was a series of eruptions during the years 1226–1238 in which the craters could have formed. The data also show normal faults in the Húllið graben. The western boundary faults have a drop of more than 25m, while the eastern faults are smaller but denser. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Three types of xenoliths were collected from a 80 m high vertical section of the Sæfell tuff-cone on Heimaey, Iceland. These types are: alkali basaltic (Type I), sedimentary (Type II) and cpx-bearing basalts (Type III). They are distinct in hand specimen, thin section and geochemistry. Near the base of the eruptive succession only juvenile material and Type I xenoliths are present. The middle section has Type II xenoliths in addition to Type I. Xenoliths of Type III first appear in the uppermost xenolith-rich horizons, where they are found together with all other types. Juvenile Sæfell clasts are present in various amounts throughout the investigated section. A downward migration of explosion foci during the eruption is established based on the distribution of the different types of xenoliths in the tuff-cone (i.e. the appearance of Type I–Type II–Type III xenoliths with increasing stratigraphic height) in combination with the observed relations in basement stratigraphy beneath Heimaey. In the beginning of the eruption a combination of high eruption rate and abundant seawater resulted in shallow-seated explosions depositing only juvenile material and Type I xenoliths. The downward migration of explosion foci is suggested to be the result of lowered influx of seawater (due to the formation of a cone that reached 50–75 m a.s.l.) in combination with lowered eruption rate. As the basement stratigraphy beneath Heimaey is well documented by a 1565 m deep drill-hole, the depth of the explosions can be constrained to vary between less than 170 m in the beginning of the eruption and exceeding 820 m in the final phases. This is much deeper than previously reported for any Surtseyan tuff-cone forming eruption and consistent with the downward penetration of a diatreme. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Heimaey is the southernmost and also the youngest of nine volcanic centres in the southward-propagating Eastern Volcanic Zone, Iceland. The island of Heimaey belongs to the Vestmannaeyjar volcanic system (850 km2) and is situated 10 km off the south coast of Iceland. Although Heimaey probably started to form during the Upper Pleistocene all the exposed subaerial volcanics (10 monogenetic vents covering an area of 13.4 km2) are of Holocene age. Heimaey is composed of roughly equal amounts of tuff/tuff-breccias and lavas as most eruptions involve both a phreatomagmatic and an effusive phase. The compositions of the extrusives are predominantly alkali basalts belonging to the sodic series. Repeated eruptions on Heimaey, and the occurrence of slightly more evolved rocks (i.e. hawaiite approaching mugearite), might indicate that the island is in an early stage of forming a central volcano in the Vestmannaeyjar system. This is further substantiated by the development of a magma chamber at 10–20 km depth during the most recent eruption in 1973 and by the fact that the average volume of material produced in a single eruption on Heimaey is 0.32 km3 (dense rock equivalent), which is twice the value reported for the Vestmannaeyjar system as a whole. We find no support for the previously postulated episodic behaviour of the volcanism in the Vestmannaeyjar system. However, the oldest units exposed above sea level, i.e. the Norðurklettar ridge, probably formed over a 500-year interval during the deglaciation of southern Iceland. The absence of equilibrium phenocryst assemblages in the Heimaey lavas suggests that magma rose quickly from depth, without long-time ponding in shallow-seated crustal magma chambers. Eruptions on Heimaey have occurred along two main lineaments (N45°E and N65°E), which indicate that it is seismic events associated with the southward propagation of the Eastern Volcanic Zone that open pathways for the magma to reach the surface. Continuing southward propagation of the Eastern Volcanic Zone suggests that the frequency of volcanic eruptions in the Vestmannaeyjar system might increase with time, and that Heimaey may develop into a central volcano like the mature volcanic centres situated on the Icelandic mainland. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Roughness can be used to characterize the morphologies of a lava flow. It can be used to identify lava flow features, provide insight into eruption conditions, and link roughness pattern across a lava flow to emplacement conditions. In this study, we use both the topographic position index (TPI) and the one-dimensional Hurst exponent (H) to derive lava flow unit roughness on the 2014–2015 lava field at Holuhraun using both airborne LiDAR and photogrammetric datasets. The roughness assessment was acquired from four lava flow features: (1) spiny lava, (2) lava pond, (3) blocky surface, and (4) inflated channel. The TPI patterns on spiny lava and inflated channels show that the intermediate TPI values correspond to a small surficial slope indicating a flat and smooth surface. Lava pond is characterized by low to high TPI values and forms a wave-like pattern. Meanwhile, irregular transitions patterns from low to high TPI values indicate a rough surface that is found in blocky surface and flow margins. The surface roughness of these lava features falls within the H range of 0.30 ± 0.05 to 0.76 ± 0.04. The roughest surface is the blocky, and inflated lava flows appear to be the smoothest surface among these four lava units. In general, the Hurst exponent values in the 2014–2015 lava field at Holuhraun has a strong tendency in 0.5, both TPI and Hurst exponent successfully derive quantitative flow roughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Reykjanes Peninsula (RP) hosts several volcanic lineaments that have been periodically active over the last 4000 years. Since 2021, following a ca. 800‐year quiescence, eight eruptions have occurred on the RP, with more expected in the future. To better understand the origins of this renewed volcanism and help forecast future eruptions, we examine (i) if the ongoing volcanism is fed from a single or multiple magma storage zone(s) or from several smaller reservoirs and; (ii) where the zone(s) are located (i.e. mantle or lower or upper crustal depths). Using major and trace element geochemistry, oxygen isotopes, and seismic tomography we rule out a single, RP‐scale, deep‐seated magma storage zone. Instead we propose the presence of a ca. 10‐km‐wide region of crustal‐level (9–12 km) magma accumulation beneath the Fagradalsfjall volcanic lineament that fed both the 2021–23 eruptions of the Fagradalsfjall Fires and the 2023–24 eruptions of the Sundhnúkur Fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the parameters that control fissure-fed lava morphologies is critical for reconstructing the complex emplacement histories of eruptions on Earth and other planetary bodies. We used a geomorphological map of the 2014-2015 Holuhraun lava flow field, in combination with new constraints on lava emplacement chronology and two independently derived time-averaged discharge rate (TADR) data sets, to analyze correlations between lava morphology and effusion rate. Results show that lava morphologies are dominantly controlled by effusion rate at the vent during the early phases of the eruption and by lava transport processes as the system evolves. Initially, TADR and its variance, which reflect pulsation in the lava supply rate from the vent, directly affect lava emplacement styles. However, as the eruption progresses, the lava transport system exerts a stronger control with channels and ponds that can either dampen variation in local effusion rate or create surges during sudden drainage events. The Holuhraun eruption predominantly produced rubbly lava in its earlier eruption phases and transitioned into the production of spiny lava toward the end of the eruption. However, a drop of TADR during the first phase of the eruption correlates with a decrease in rubbly lava formation and an increase in spiny lava production. This suggests that a change in effusion rate caused the observed transition in lava type. Our findings show that rubbly lava is formed under relatively high local effusion rates with pulsating supply conditions, whereas spiny lava is formed under lower local effusion rates and steadier supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Reykjanes Ridge is a key setting to study plate boundary processes overlaid on a regional mantle melting anomaly. The ridge originated as one arm of a ridge-ridge-ridge triple junction that separated Greenland, Eurasia, and North America. It initially formed a linear axis, spreading orthogonally at slow rates without transform faults or orthogonal crustal segmentation. Stable spreading continued in this configuration for ∼18 Myr until Labrador Sea spreading ceased, terminating the triple junction by joining Greenland to North America and causing a rapid ∼30° change in opening direction across the ridge. The ridge abruptly became segmented and offset by a series of transform faults that appear to decrease in length and spacing toward Iceland. Without further changes in opening direction, the ridge promptly began to reassemble its original linear configuration systematically and diachronously from north to south, even though this required the ridge to spread obliquely as it became linear again. Prominent V-shaped crustal ridges spread outward from the axis as the ridge became linear. This reconfiguration is presently nearly complete from Iceland to the Bight transform fault, a distance of nearly 1000 km. Both mantle plume and plate boundary processes have been proposed to control the tectonic reconfigurations and crustal accretion characteristics of the Reykjanes Ridge. Here we review the ridge characteristics and tectonic evolution and various models proposed to influence them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract It is well established that rootless cones and associated deposits are the result of explosive interactions between lava flows and environmental water, but there is substantial uncertainty about the dynamics of rootless eruptions, particularly the relative importance of lava supply, water availability and the conditions under which they meet. Here we present a case study of the Younger Laxá Lava in NE Iceland, and the >6500 rootless cones that it created. Critically, this long (63 km) lava flow interacted with water along its length, from flow through/around a large lake (Mývatn), down a narrow river gorge (Laxárdalur) and across a broad glacial valley with wetlands and rivers (Aðaldalur). Using high-resolution digital terrain models and aerial photographs, we map the flow surface morphology, and classify, measure and analyse the rootless cone type, size and spatial distribution in the context of both lava and water availability. We find that rootless cone size is controlled by the combined availability of lava and water: large rootless cones require sustained, high volumes of lava (related to proximity to vent) and water (e.g., Lake Mývatn), whereas limited supplies of lava (with distance from the vent and from the centre of the flow) and water (particularly in dammed river valleys) build smaller cones. Where we infer that where water was distributed in sediment, the lava–water interaction style changed to low-energy and distributed bubble bursts that created >3000 hornitos in the lower reaches of Aðaldalur. The distribution of rootless cones around Mývatn also defines the pre-eruption extent of the lake and suggests substantial lake level changes during the course of the eruption. By looking at the variation in rootless cone type and size in the context of the parent lava flow and the local environment, we explain how the availability of water and local mass flow rate of lava affect the dynamics of rootless eruptions. Highlights • Environmental conditions and lava supply affect the type and size of rootless cones formed. • Large cones require sustained supplies of lava and water e.g. near Lake Mývatn. • Limited lava and water supplies build smaller cones e.g. on flow margins. • Reduced supply of lava & water leads to low-energy bubble bursts, creating hornitos. • Cones show pre-eruption extent of Mývatn & imply syn -eruptive lake level change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption extruded >1 km3 of lava in a barren region of the Icelandic highlands. Due to its large volume and the abundance of data for this eruption, Holuhraun is an ideal site to investigate fissure-fed eruption products for comparison with other large lava flow-fields on Earth and other planetary bodies. To characterize lava morphologies associated with this event, we used 0.01–0.5 m/pixel image data, acquired from aerial surveys and small Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (sUAS) to create a 1:800-scale facies map that was ground-truthed using field observations during the summers of 2015–2019. Each facies region exhibits similar attributes in the remote sensing data, including albedo, surface texture, and geomorphology. However, at our mapping scale of 1:800, the facies typically include mixtures of lava types. Results show that transitional lava types (e.g., rubbly pāhoehoe, slabby pāhoehoe, and spiny pāhoehoe) dominate the 2014–2015 Holuhraun lava flow-field (83.82 km2), rather than the traditional end-members of ʻaʻā and classical pāhoehoe. At 1:800-scale, we distinguish the following eight facies (with the percentage of total flow-field area shown in parentheses): rubbly (57.35%), spiny (25.96%), undifferentiated rubbly–spiny (9.59%), shelly (5.58%), pāhoehoe (1.24%), flat-lying–knobby (0.58%), vent-proximal edifice (0.19%), and channel interior (0.16%). Field observations show that initial coherent pāhoehoe surfaces were episodically disrupted to produce slabby and rubbly textures that resemble ʻaʻā in remote sensing data. Our observations also show that continued solidification of the lava beneath brecciated surfaces can cause the surfaces of disrupted lobes to stabilize, or restabilize and undergo inflation. These factors complicate the use of surface texture as a direct indicator of emplacement style, which can change over the course of an eruption. This complexity has important implications for reconstructing the emplacement history of flow-fields on Earth and other planetary bodies. • Holuhraun flow-field characterization based on facies mapping and field observations. • The flow-field includes eight facies, which are dominated by transitional lava types. • Rubbly, slabby, and spiny pāhoehoe are major products of this fissure-fed eruption. • Disruption events and inflation contributed to overprinting of initial lava texture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lava that erupted during the 2014–2015 Holuhraun eruption in Iceland flowed into a proglacial river system, resulting in aqueous cooling of the lava and an ephemeral hydrothermal system. We carried out a monitoring study of this system from 2015 to 2018 to document the cooling of the lava over this time, using thermocouple measurements and data-logging sensors. The heat loss rate from advection through this hydrothermal system in August 2015 was ~5.5 × 108 W; since eruption, aqueous cooling likely accounted for ~1% of the total heat loss from the lava. This estimate excludes steam losses from fumaroles as well as any groundwater that was not released to the surface, and thus is a lower bound. Near the terminus of the flow, advection of heat by flowing water may have locally accounted for tens of percent of the total cooling of that part of the flow. Our data quantify the importance of water cooling for this lava flow and can be compared with models to better understand lava–water interactions more generally. We also provide detailed methods for simple, low-cost monitoring of similar instances in the future. • Monitoring the cooling of the lava erupted during 2014–2015 at Holuhraun, Iceland, quantifies advection of heat by interaction with flowing water. • Aqueous Advection accounted for ~1% of the total heat loss from the lava but was likely much more important in local areas. • These methods enable simple, low-cost monitoring of aqueous cooling of lava. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The breakup of Laurasia to form the Northeast Atlantic Realm disintegrated an inhomogeneous collage of cratons sutured by cross-cutting orogens. Volcanic rifted margins formed that are underlain by magma-inflated, extended continental crust. North of the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge a new rift–the Aegir Ridge–propagated south along the Caledonian suture. South of the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge the proto-Reykjanes Ridge propagated north through the North Atlantic Craton along an axis displaced ~150 km to the west of the rift to the north. Both propagators stalled where the confluence of the Nagssugtoqidian and Caledonian orogens formed an ~300-km-wide transverse barrier. Thereafter, the ~150 × 300-km block of continental crust between the rift tips–the Iceland Microcontinent–extended in a distributed, unstable manner along multiple axes of extension. These axes repeatedly migrated or jumped laterally with shearing occurring between them in diffuse transfer zones. This style of deformation continues to the present day in Iceland. It is the surface expression of underlying magma-assisted stretching of ductile continental crust that has flowed from the Iceland Microplate and flanking continental areas to form the lower crust of the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge. Icelandic-type crust which underlies the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge is thus not anomalously thick oceanic crust as is often assumed. Upper Icelandic-type crust comprises magma flows and dykes. Lower Icelandic-type crust comprises magma-inflated continental mid- and lower crust. Contemporary magma production in Iceland, equivalent to oceanic layers 2–3, corresponds to Icelandic-type upper crust plus intrusions in the lower crust, and has a total thickness of only 10–15 km. This is much less than the total maximum thickness of 42 km for Icelandic-type crust measured seismically in Iceland. The feasibility of the structure we propose is confirmed by numerical modeling that shows extension of the continental crust can continue for many tens of millions of years by lower-crustal ductile flow. A composition of Icelandic-type lower crust that is largely continental can account for multiple seismic observations along with gravity, bathymetric, topographic, petrological and geochemical data that are inconsistent with a gabbroic composition for Icelandic-type lower crust. It also offers a solution to difficulties in numerical models for melt-production by downward-revising the amount of melt needed. Unstable tectonics on the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe Ridge can account for long-term tectonic disequilibrium on the adjacent rifted margins, the southerly migrating rift propagators that build diachronous chevron ridges of thick crust about the Reykjanes Ridge, and the tectonic decoupling of the oceans to the north and south. A model of complex, discontinuous continental breakup influenced by crustal inhomogeneity that distributes continental material in growing oceans fits other regions including the Davis Strait, the South Atlantic and the West Indian Ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]