Lava discharge rates from satellite‐measured heat flux

Abstract

A commonly used method to convert lava flow area to volume flux using low spatial resolution satellite data rests on two primary assumptions, that: (1) volume flux is related to flow area, and (2) lava surfaces cool exponentially with time and distance from the source. Field data show that both assumptions are valid. The ensuing relationship is an empirical one in which flow area is proportional to time‐averaged discharge rate under given compositional, insulation, rheological and ambient conditions. Thus, the proportionality has to be determined depending on flow conditions, and the conversion set and applied on a case‐by‐case basis.