HYCOMA: Hydrothermal Cooling of Magmatic Intrusions
HYCOMA is a research project funded by the Icelandic Research Fund (Rannís) that investigates how groundwater circulation, heat transfer, and subsurface geology control the cooling, storage, and evolution of magma in the upper crust. The presence or absence of circulating water fundamentally changes how long magma bodies remain molten and potentially eruptible. Understanding these processes is essential for interpreting volcanic unrest, evaluating the production potential of superhot geothermal wells, and explaining fundamental contrasts between Earth and water-poor silicate planetary bodies such as Venus.
Project Goals
HYCOMA addresses three core research questions:​
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How do fracture networks, permeability structure, and host rock properties influence the thermal evolution of shallow magma bodies?
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How do precipitation, recharge, drought, and glaciation alter hydrothermal circulation and the rate at which intrusions lose heat?
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How does hydrothermal cooling shape the production potential of high-enthalpy wells and magmatic-heat-driven geothermal fields, including superhot prospects such as Krafla?
Approach
HYCOMA combines numerical model development, ensembles of 2D and 3D simulations, and field and petrological constraints to understand how groundwater controls the thermal evolution of magma. The work is organized into a series of linked tasks:
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Improving boundary conditions at the surface: We will develop new CSMP++ functionality to represent precipitation, recharge, and an unsaturated zone, so that the water table and infiltration can respond dynamically to climate, drought, topography, and glaciation.
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Improving physics at the magma–hydrothermal interface: We will implement a new constitutive model for near-magma permeability, and extend existing tools for incremental intrusion emplacement and magma convection from 2D to 3D.
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Systematic simulation suites: Using these tools, we run large sets of models exploring how permeability, magma flux, depth, composition, salinity, and topography control hydrothermal cooling in continental and oceanic crust settings.
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Climate influence: We will investigate how changes in groundwater recharge stemming from prolonged drought and glaciation alter hydrothermal circulation patterns and the cooling and crystallization of magma chambers.
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Application to active geothermal systems: We will build a CSMP++ model of the Krafla geothermal system with a dynamic magmatic heat source, testing how hydrothermal cooling affects reservoir structure and the behavior of superhot environments.
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Petrological tests of model predictions: We use diffusion chronometry on gabbro xenoliths to estimate cooling rates and compare them directly with model-derived timescales of hydrothermal cooling.
Together, these activities link process-level physics to volcanic hazards, geothermal resource assessment, and the evolution of magmatic systems on Earth and other planets.
Current Progress (updated Dec. 2025)
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PhD student successfully recruited. Welcome Julia
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Kick-off meeting in Reykjavik (5-9 Sept. 2025)​
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Manuscript submitted to Geothermics: "Thermo-Hydraulic Drivers of Superhot Geothermal Well Performance". Lays the groundwork for more realistic simulations of production from superhot systems to be carried out in this project.
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Dissemination: Invited Presentation at Annual Meeting of the American Geophysical Union 2025: "Hydrothermal Control on the Cooling and Storage of Shallow Magma Bodies". Session V14A: Advances in Earth Resource Knowledge: Critical Minerals, Geothermal Systems, and the Path to a Sustainable Future (Monday, 15 December 2025; 16:15 – 17:45 CST)
Funding
HYCOMA is funded by the Icelandic Research Fund (Rannís). Grant number: 2511379-051.