Analysis of the relationship between volcanic eruption and surface deformation in volcanoes of the Alaskan Aleutian Islands using SAR interferometry

Abstract

The Alaskan Aleutian Islands form one of the world’s largest volcanic island chains. The islands are exposed to both direct and indirect damage from continuous volcanic eruptions. Surface deformation is mostly observed before volcanic eruption, but with some volcanoes, such as Ontake Volcano, deformations cannot be detected. In this study, we analyzed volcanic eruptions in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, which is a region of frequent volcanic eruptions. Based on our results, we predicted the type of eruption that would occur on Baekdusan Volcano according to the presence or absence of surface deformation. For this purpose, 10 sites were selected from areas where recent volcanic activity had occurred in the Aleutian Islands. Additionally, Advanced Land Observing Satellite Phased Array-type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS-PALSAR) and European Remote Sensing (ERS)-1/2 satellite data were obtained from 10 experimental sites. Based on the radar satellite data, the volcanic surface deformations were identified, and the characteristics of the volcanic eruption were quantitatively calculated by determining the presence of surface deformation. The results of this study should facilitate the process of correlation between volcanic eruption and surface deformation.