Surface deformation time series and source modeling for a volcanic complex system based on satellite wide swath and image mode interferometry: The Lazufre system, central Andes

Abstract

The variable spatio-temporal scales of Earth's surface deformation in potentially hazardous volcanic areas pose a challenge for observation and assessment. Here we used Envisat data acquired in Wide Swath Mode (WSM) and Image Mode (IM) from ascending and descending geometry, respectively, to study time-dependent ground uplift at the Lazufre volcanic system in Chile and Argentina. A least-squares adjustment was performed on 65 IM interferograms that covered the time period of 2003–2008. We obtained a clear trend of uplift reaching 15–16 cm in this 5-year interval. Using a joint inversion of ascending and descending interferograms, we evaluated the geometry and time-dependent progression of a horizontally extended pressurized source beneath the Lazufre volcanic system. Our results hence indicate that an extended magma body at a depth between 10 and 15 km would account for most of the ground uplift. The maximum inflation reached up to ~ 40 cm during 2003–2008. The lateral propagation velocity of the intrusion was estimated to be nearly constant at 5–10 km/yr during the observation time, which has important implications for the physical understanding of magma intrusion processes.