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Volcano Geodesy: Recent developments and future challenges

September 1, 2017

Ascent of magma through Earth's crust is normally associated with, among other effects, ground deformation and gravity changes. Geodesy is thus a valuable tool for monitoring and hazards assessment during volcanic unrest, and it provides valuable data for exploring the geometry and volume of magma plumbing systems. Recent decades have seen an explosion in the quality and quantity of volcano geodetic data. New datasets (some made possible by regional and global scientific initiatives), as well as new analysis methods and modeling practices, have resulted in important changes to our understanding of the geodetic characteristics of active volcanism and magmatic processes, from the scale of individual eruptive vents to global compilations of volcano deformation. Here, we describe some of the recent developments in volcano geodesy, both in terms of data and interpretive tools, and discuss the role of international initiatives in meeting future challenges for the field.

Publication Year 2017
Title Volcano Geodesy: Recent developments and future challenges
DOI 10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.08.006
Authors Jose F. Fernandez, Antonio Pepe, Michael P. Poland, Freysteinn Sigmundsson
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research
Index ID 70196222
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Volcano Science Center