TESTBED
Bringing the World to a New Age
in Energy Generation and a Closer
Understanding of Magma
INTRODUCTION | OPPORTUNITY | UNEXPLORED FRONTIER | OBJECTIVES AND NEEDS | PROJECT PILLARS
SCIENTIFIC AIMS | INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP | KMT PROJECT DETAILS | FUNDING
KMT Strategy in PDF
The Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) will attract the world's very best energy and volcano scientists and technologists to work in a unique environment. The KMT is a major global challenge – a "moon-shot" for the geosciences.
Prof. John Eichelberger
Professor, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
The KMT is an unprecedented scientific research endeavour with the ambition of establishing the first ever research infrastructure able to access a magma chamber and initiate a 30-year scientific programme for completely new observations and experiments concerning magma dynamics, volcanic risk, and extreme geothermal energy.
The KMT is an unprecedented scientific research endeavour with the ambition of establishing the first ever research infrastructure able to access a magma chamber and initiate a 30-year scientific programme for completely new observations and experiments concerning magma dynamics, volcanic risk, and extreme
geothermal energy.
Crossing the last
unexplored frontier
The current state of volcanology, though sophisticated in many ways, can be compared to studying oil and gas reservoirs by only sampling seeps, or forecasting weather without monitoring the atmosphere.
The ambition is a scientific research venture to drill down into the Earth's magma-filled crust. The endeavour will enable volcanologists and geothermal scientists to directly sample and observe the previously uncharted volcanic world that lies beneath our feet.
Objectives and needs
The KMT is founded on urgent scientific, societal, economic and technological needs.
project pillars
Geohazards
Volcanic hazards transcend national boundaries. KMT research will improve how the world reads signs of volcanic unrest. It will improve civil protection for the 800 million people who live within 100 km of an active volcano: be they the millions of Indonesian citizens living under the veil of the archipelago's active volcanoes or the millions of tourists visiting America's Yellowstone National Park. Volcano monitoring is better when founded on quantifiable, accurate research. By establishing where and under what conditions magma is stored, we can place multiple sensors to provide direct measurements of changes in temperature, gas content, crystallisation and pressure that could signify an eruption.
There is an enormous amount to discover about the physical state of magma chambers. Knowledge of magma currently derives from: interpreting activity measured at the volcano surface, the geology of fossil magma chambers and laboratory experiments. The KMT will unearth direct samples and provide direct observations that will enable competing theories to be tested. Never before has there been a long-term observation of the magmatic system, nor the ability to image it. The KMT will allow us to test and develop models about how the planet works and observe the real properties of the system. Through this, humankind will acquire, and benefit from, a hugely-improved understanding of magma dynamics.
For some regions of the world, geothermal is the biggest source of energy. A quarter of Iceland's electricity demand is already being met by this clean and renewable power. The Krafla drilling project will enhance research on extracting heat directly from magma. Coupled with rapidly evolving technology in long distance undersea power transmission, this will dramatically change the economics of geothermal energy, potentially pushing geothermal to become 4% of the world's energy supply. This would help to alleviate fuel poverty; volcanic ranges and islands could become national and international power factories as the KMT enables science to map where we can use geothermal energy worldwide.
The KMT will provide the perfect opportunity for innovation by developing new, qualified and tested technology. It will develop or improve monitoring techniques for volcanology; including real time calibrations. It will also push drilling and sensor technology to the crust's high temperature maximum. This venture will be working at the limits of sensor systems technology, in a dynamic environment encompassing interactions with magma at temperatures of ~900°C and ambient temperatures at the surface. Finally, it will explore the roots of geothermal systems and the potential for direct energy extraction from magma — the ultimate geothermal resource.
Scientific aims
The KMT is an unprecedented international undertaking, the first inner-space mission to explore the most extreme of the Earth's crustal realms: magma. It will draw on many disciplines of engineering, sensor technology, and geoscience. Now is the time to seize upon the convergence of these multiple fields with this magma testbed. The project will illuminate how magma drives volcanic eruptions, contributes to crustal evolution and releases heat for geothermal energy. What is proposed is more than a drilling project, it is a cluster of coordinated, multidisciplinary efforts encompassing…
High quality consortium
An ambitious, cutting-edge project on this scale cannot be a single endeavour by a single nation.
It must be a research programme led by a high-level international partnership with multi-national expertise.
creation and management
of the KMT project
Summary of organizations which are leading the creation and
management of the KMT project.
LIVING IN HARMONY
WITH GEOTHERMAL
Geothermal resources have been used in Iceland since the settlement of the Vikings around year 1,000. Space heating of modern houses with geothermal water started in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland, in 1930. Today, 99% of houses in Iceland are heated with renewable energy.
The steps towards the
creation of KMT
The journey to delivering the Krafla Magma Testbed is phased carefully to manage the complexity and risk of the venture. The KMT consortium has planned five vital phases in the delivery process.
Fundraising strategies
The KMT consortium has identified the following potential funding sources to deliver on the ambition:
• Individual partners
• National governments
• Major science-supporting agencies
COLLABORATION MODEL AND
FUNDING NEEDS
The legal framework for the KMT project is currently under review. It will follow best practices in the relevant fields as well as proven frameworks for large international research projects.
ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Strong support from the local community is essential for the KMT project and we are deeply committed to bringing real value to the community around Krafla in Northeastern Iceland.