About
World’s first magma research facility for advanced studies and experiments

What is KMT?
KMT is an extraordinary scientific endeavour to establish the world´s first magma centre – an international, open access research facility with in-situ access to a magma chamber for advanced understanding and experiments concerning magma dynamics, extreme geothermal energy, and volcanic risks.
English
Ambitious Endeavor
KMT opens the door to tackling the ultimate challenge of harnessing geothermal energy directly from molten 900 degree rock to help solve the world’s energy challenges, mitigating volcano hazards and understanding how rocky planets have formed their crust.
Drilling Mission
Multifold Approach
Long-Term Vision
Project start
Preparation
Drilling mission start (KMT-I)
Drilling KMT-II
Research facility
Mission
VOLCANO MONITORING
Volcanic hazards transcend national boundaries. By drilling and instrumenting in magma, KMT will revolutionize volcano monitoring, leading to ground-breaking outcomes on how the world reads signs of volcanic unrest. This will result in a leap in civil protection measures for the 800 million people who live within 100 km of an active volcano.
GEOTHERMAL POTENTIAL
Experiments at the rock-magma boundary will vastly improve our knowledge of the roots of geothermal systems, leading to new discoveries on potential energy extraction directly from magma. Coupled with cutting-edge drilling technology, this will dramatically change the economics of geothermal energy and improve energy security.
GEOSCIENCE KNOWLEDGE
Magma chambers remain a mystery for geoscientists. KMT will unearth magma samples and provide direct observations that will enable us to better understand magma. This will allow us to examine the real properties of the Earth’s deep interior and develop new models about how the planet works. Our communities will acquire, and benefit from, a new understanding of magma dynamics, modernising future geosciences efforts.
INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
KMT provides the perfect opportunity for innovation by developing and testing new technologies, methods, materials and instruments. This new technology frontier will allow us to improve magma-monitoring techniques for volcanology, harness magma heat in volcanic provinces worldwide, and advance geothermal engineering in superhot (~900°C) environments.
Infrastructure

MAGMA OBSERVATION
TESTBED FOR NEAR-MAGMA RESEARCH
Why Krafla?
Krafla is a volcanic caldera in the Northeast of Iceland of about 10 km in diameter with a 90 km long fissure zone.
Krafla has been called the cradle of geothermal in Iceland and is the site of the country´s first geothermal power station.
It has been in operation for decades with over 40 boreholes and extensive support infrastructure.
