VolCID: A MATLAB-based GUI for the detection of volcanic vent clusters

Abstract

In this work, a MATLAB Graphic User Interphase (GUI) is presented to support the identification of a clustered structure of eruptive centers for which only their spatial coordinates are known. The GUI, called VolCID (Volcano Cluster IDentification), combines an unsupervised classification scheme with user approval at various stages of the analysis. It is not necessary to make any assumption about the total number of clusters expected or about other characteristics of the clusters (as, for example, minimum cluster size) at the beginning of any analysis. Due to its flexibility, VolCID allows exploration of the effect of different distances of reference and to assess the possibility of chaining effects in a systematic and reproducible form. The combination of objective calculations and subjective choices therefore helps the operator to bring forward underlying assumptions (e.g., the expected number of clusters, general shape of each cluster, number of volcanoes per area of specific clusters) that often remain unstated in these types of studies. VolCID also incorporates the possibility of completing the analysis superimposed to an image of geologic significance, as well as to complete analysis of volcanic features on other planets. By facilitating the exploration of distribution schemes, VolCID might be a helpful tool that can be used to further our understanding of volcanic phenomena (or any other geologic feature that can be represented by point-like features) on Earth and other planets as well.