Satellite Radar and Camera Time Series Reveal Transition from Aligned to Distributed Crater Arrangement during the 2021 Eruption of Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain)
Magma-filled dikes may feed erupting fissures that lead to alignments of craters developing at the surface, yet the details of activity and migrating eruptions at the crater row are difficult to monitor and are hardly understood. The 2021 Tajogaite eruption at the Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain), las...
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/23/6168 |
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| author | Valeria Muñoz Thomas R. Walter Edgar U. Zorn Alina V. Shevchenko Pablo J. González Diego Reale Eugenio Sansosti |
| author_facet | Valeria Muñoz Thomas R. Walter Edgar U. Zorn Alina V. Shevchenko Pablo J. González Diego Reale Eugenio Sansosti |
| author_sort | Valeria Muñoz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Magma-filled dikes may feed erupting fissures that lead to alignments of craters developing at the surface, yet the details of activity and migrating eruptions at the crater row are difficult to monitor and are hardly understood. The 2021 Tajogaite eruption at the Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain), lasted 85 days and developed a pronounced alignment of craters that may be related to changes within the volcano edifice. Here, we use COSMO-SkyMed satellite radar data and ground-based time-lapse photographs, offering a high-resolution dataset to explore the locations and characteristics of evolving craters. Our results show that the craters evolve both gradually and suddenly and can be divided into three main phases. Phase 1, lasting the first 6 weeks of the eruption, was characterized by a NW–SE linear evolution of up to seven craters emerging on the growing cone. Following two partial collapses of the cone to the northwest and a seismicity increase at depth, Phase 2 started and caused a propagation of the main activity toward the southeastern side, together with the presence of up to 11 craters along this main NW–SE trend. Associated with strong deep and shallow earthquakes, Phase 3 was initiated and continued for the final 2 weeks of the eruption, expressed by the development of up to 18 craters, which became dominant and clustered in the southeastern sector in early December 2021. In Phase 3, a second and oblique alignment and surface fracture was identified. Our findings that crater and eruption changes coincide together with an increase in seismic activity at depth point to a deep driver leading to crater and morphology changes at the surface. These also suggest that crater distributions might allow for improved monitoring of changes occurring at depth, and vice versa, such that strong seismicity changes at depth may herald the migration and new formation of craters, which have major implications for the assessment of tephra and lava flow hazards on volcanoes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:32:30Z |
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| id | doaj.art-0862c5cf6e2b400da2d7d7da67e1b812 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:32:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-0862c5cf6e2b400da2d7d7da67e1b8122023-11-24T12:06:57ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922022-12-011423616810.3390/rs14236168Satellite Radar and Camera Time Series Reveal Transition from Aligned to Distributed Crater Arrangement during the 2021 Eruption of Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain)Valeria Muñoz0Thomas R. Walter1Edgar U. Zorn2Alina V. Shevchenko3Pablo J. González4Diego Reale5Eugenio Sansosti6GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyGFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyGFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyGFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, GermanyDepartment of Life and Earth Sciences, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (IPNA-CSIC), Avda. Astrofísico Francisco Sanchez, 3, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, SpainNational Research Council (CNR), Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of Environment (IREA), Via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Napoli, ItalyNational Research Council (CNR), Institute for Electromagnetic Sensing of Environment (IREA), Via Diocleziano 328, 80124 Napoli, ItalyMagma-filled dikes may feed erupting fissures that lead to alignments of craters developing at the surface, yet the details of activity and migrating eruptions at the crater row are difficult to monitor and are hardly understood. The 2021 Tajogaite eruption at the Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain), lasted 85 days and developed a pronounced alignment of craters that may be related to changes within the volcano edifice. Here, we use COSMO-SkyMed satellite radar data and ground-based time-lapse photographs, offering a high-resolution dataset to explore the locations and characteristics of evolving craters. Our results show that the craters evolve both gradually and suddenly and can be divided into three main phases. Phase 1, lasting the first 6 weeks of the eruption, was characterized by a NW–SE linear evolution of up to seven craters emerging on the growing cone. Following two partial collapses of the cone to the northwest and a seismicity increase at depth, Phase 2 started and caused a propagation of the main activity toward the southeastern side, together with the presence of up to 11 craters along this main NW–SE trend. Associated with strong deep and shallow earthquakes, Phase 3 was initiated and continued for the final 2 weeks of the eruption, expressed by the development of up to 18 craters, which became dominant and clustered in the southeastern sector in early December 2021. In Phase 3, a second and oblique alignment and surface fracture was identified. Our findings that crater and eruption changes coincide together with an increase in seismic activity at depth point to a deep driver leading to crater and morphology changes at the surface. These also suggest that crater distributions might allow for improved monitoring of changes occurring at depth, and vice versa, such that strong seismicity changes at depth may herald the migration and new formation of craters, which have major implications for the assessment of tephra and lava flow hazards on volcanoes.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/23/6168remote sensingSARtime-lapse cameravolcano monitoringfissure eruptioncrater row |
| spellingShingle | Valeria Muñoz Thomas R. Walter Edgar U. Zorn Alina V. Shevchenko Pablo J. González Diego Reale Eugenio Sansosti Satellite Radar and Camera Time Series Reveal Transition from Aligned to Distributed Crater Arrangement during the 2021 Eruption of Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain) Remote Sensing remote sensing SAR time-lapse camera volcano monitoring fissure eruption crater row |
| title | Satellite Radar and Camera Time Series Reveal Transition from Aligned to Distributed Crater Arrangement during the 2021 Eruption of Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain) |
| title_full | Satellite Radar and Camera Time Series Reveal Transition from Aligned to Distributed Crater Arrangement during the 2021 Eruption of Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain) |
| title_fullStr | Satellite Radar and Camera Time Series Reveal Transition from Aligned to Distributed Crater Arrangement during the 2021 Eruption of Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Satellite Radar and Camera Time Series Reveal Transition from Aligned to Distributed Crater Arrangement during the 2021 Eruption of Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain) |
| title_short | Satellite Radar and Camera Time Series Reveal Transition from Aligned to Distributed Crater Arrangement during the 2021 Eruption of Cumbre Vieja, La Palma (Spain) |
| title_sort | satellite radar and camera time series reveal transition from aligned to distributed crater arrangement during the 2021 eruption of cumbre vieja la palma spain |
| topic | remote sensing SAR time-lapse camera volcano monitoring fissure eruption crater row |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/14/23/6168 |
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