MICROSCALE 3D-PRINTED MAPS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF STRUCTURAL AND GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF VOLCANIC ASH FROM THE EYJAFJALLAJÖKULL VOLCANO IN ICELAND USING SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE AND 3D-ELEVATION SOFTWARE

Identification of a volcanic center and related lava flow behavior is crucial to locate previous volcanic centers, understand various eruption styles, and evaluate an imminent volcanic hazard. Multiple physical and geochemical characteristics may reveal the lava deposition and cooling procedure. A scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive system (SEM-EDS) was used to examine the volcanic samples from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in south Iceland that recently erupted in 2010. Samples from Grimsvörtn volcano and Vatnafjoll volcano in Iceland were also analyzed under a scanning electron microscope, and SEM images were imported into MountainMaps and TopoMaps 3D software. We analyzed the volcanic ash surface of the samples and mapped all linear features. A binary outline allowed us to produce a 3D-printed map. Structural linear characteristics were extracted, and the direction and frequency of those features were statistically examined on a micro-scale. First, second and third direction peaks were obtained from a rose diagram that may imply the direction of the lava flow as well as the volcanic rock cooling and deposition procedure during the volcanic eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. Geochemical analysis indicates compositional similarities between volcanic ash samples as well as elemental homogeneity with limited exceptions.