Palmason Model

The Palmason Model is a depth, distance, temperature and heat flow gradient model of crustal accretion mechanism through the Iceland lithosphere which denotes the spreading material trajectories from a rift axis.

The material erupting at the rift axis will tend to sink down, due to thermal subsidience and spreading, to a depth of many kilometers, while lava flows spreading to a distance of many kilometers away from the rift axis on the surface will sink down to shallower depth. Surface erosion can expose such preserved materials.