Description of thermal anomalies on 2 active Guatemalan volcanos using Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-1995

Abstract

Santiaguito Dome, Guatemala, continuously extruded dacite lava and underwent daily, vertical, phreatomagmatic eruptions during 1986 to 1988. Three Landsat satellite Thematic Mapper (TM) subscenes recorded this activity over a two-year period. The subscenes show a stationary, high-temperature thermal amomaly around the active vent, Caliente. Two of the subscenes depict vertical ash eruptions, one of which reached 4.5 to 5 km above the dome. The subscenes provide evidence that a recently detected deep erosional episode on the dome did not begin significantly before February 1988.

At Pacaya Volcano, Guatemala, a basaltic cone in nearly continuous eruption since 1967, a single subscene shows a large, high-temperature thermal anomaly with the characteristics of a basaltic lava flow. Periodic processing of TM images can provide a valuable, supplemental monitoring tool for active volcanoes, particularly when on-site monitoring is limited by economic or personnel resources.

Publisher's Statement

Publisher's version of record: https://www.asprs.org/wp-content/uploads/pers/1995journal/jun/1995_jun_775-782.pdf

Publication Title

Photogrammetric engineering and remote sensing

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