Controls on Fissure Location and Fire-fountain Dynamics: Insights from Webcam Observations of the Eruptions Between December 2023 and September 2024 from the Svartsengi Volcanic System, Iceland.

Controls on Fissure Location and Fire-fountain Dynamics: Insights from Webcam Observations of the Eruptions Between December 2023 and September 2024 from the Svartsengi Volcanic System, Iceland. | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Controls on Fissure Location and Fire-fountain Dynamics: Insights from Webcam Observations of the Eruptions Between December 2023 and September 2024 from the Svartsengi Volcanic System, Iceland. Rebekah S. Rhodes, David M. Pyle, Tamsin A. Mather, Gro M. B. Pedersen, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8947272/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Fissure-fed eruptions are a common type of volcanic activity globally. Recent fissure-fed eruptions from the Svartsengi Volcanic System have significantly impacted Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. This activity may continue intermittently for decades to centuries, so understanding the controls on the locations and propagation of these fissure-fed eruptions is vital for continued hazard assessment and risk mitigation. This study maps eruptive fissures from six eruptions between December 2023 and September 2024 using satellite and aerial imagery and quantifies fire-fountain height evolution for four eruptions using webcam footage. Fissure locations are heavily influenced by topography, including features parallel to fissure strike and features formed during previous eruptions. The maximum fire-fountain heights ranged from 56 m during the January 2024 eruption to 133 m during the August 2024 eruption. Variations in fire-fountain heights in a single eruption between different fissure segments, and through time, appear to primarily be controlled by surface vent size and dike pressurisation, both of which increase mass eruption rate and lead to higher fountains. Understanding the controls on fissure propagation highlights areas most vulnerable to future fissure opening. These insights could be used to help inform ongoing hazard assessment and risk mitigation. Digital video capture of future eruptions from multiple angles would augment monitoring and help refine further models of fire-fountain evolution. Fissure eruptions Fire-fountaining Svartsengi Video analysis Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Datacollectionspreadsheet.xlsx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 17 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 05 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 05 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 01 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 25 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 23 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8947272","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":596194655,"identity":"e20eba4b-5c46-4efa-ae0b-19b7c6013cf7","order_by":0,"name":"Rebekah S. 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