Studies of Aleutian volcanoes based on two decades of SAR imagery

Abstract:

With its global coverage and all-weather imaging capability, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has become an increasingly important technique for studying magma dynamics at volcanoes in remote regions, such as the Aleutian Islands. The spatial distribution of surface deformation derived from InSAR data enables the construction of detailed mechanical models to aid the investigation of magmatic processes. We processed nearly 12,000 SAR images of Aleutian volcanoes acquired by ERS-1, JERS-1, ERS-2, Radarsat-1, Envisat, ALOS, and TerraSAR-X from the early 1990s to 2010. We combined these SAR images to produce about 25,000 interferograms, which we analyzed for evidence of surface deformation at most of the arc’s Holocene volcanoes. This talk summarizes deformation processes at Aleutian volcanoes observed with InSAR, including: (1) time-varying volcanic inflation and magmatic intrusion, (2) deformation preceding and accompanying seismic swarms , (3) persistent volcano-wide subsidence at calderas that last erupted tens of years ago, (4) episodic magma intrusion and associated tectonic stress release, (5) subsidence caused by a decrease in pore fluid pressure in active hydrothermal systems, (6) subsidence of surface lava and pyroclastic flows, and (7) a lack of deformation at some volcanoes with recent eruptions, where deformation might be expected. Our work demonstrates that deformation patterns and associated magma supply mechanisms at Aleutian volcanoes are diverse and vary in both space and time. By combining InSAR results with information from the geologic record, accounts of historical eruptions, and data from seismology, petrology, gas geochemistry, and other sources, we have developed conceptual models for the magma plumbing systems and behaviors of many volcanoes in the Aleutian arc. We realize that these models are simplistic, but it is our hope that they will serve as foundations that will be refined as additional information becomes available.