Tungurahua

Observations of Deformation

Volcano number:352080
Region:
Country:Ecuador
Geodetic measurements?Yes
Deformation observation?Yes
Measurement method(s):InSAR, GPS - continuous, Tiltmeter
Duration of observation:2003-2009 (Envisat InSAR), 2007-2009 (ALOS InSAR), 2010 - present (GPS, Tilt)
Inferred cause(s) of deformation:Magmatic
Characteristics of deformation:

Following the start of a long term eruption in 1999, persistent scatterer InSAR between 2003 and 2009 showed large scale uplift centred on Tungurahua, with a peak rate of 8 mm/year (Chapenois et al., 2014). The deformation source was modelled as magma emplacement in a storage zone at 11.5 km depth at a rate of 7 million m3/year.
ALOS observations spanning an explosive phase in Feb. 2008 show uplift of the western flank of Tungurahua, with a maximum deformation of 17 cm (Biggs et al., 2010). The deformation is best modelled by a sill-like or ellispoidal magma body within the edifice inflating by 1.2 million m3.
Continuous GPS and Tilt monitoring is performed by IG-EPN and has been operational since 2010. Deformation results are available on the IG website: http://www.igepn.edu.ec/tungurahua/deformacion-tungurahua

Reference(s):Champenois, J., V. Pinel, S. Baize, L. Audin, H. Jomard, A. Hooper, A. Alvarado, and H. Yepes (2014), Large-scale inflation of Tungurahua volcano (Ecuador) revealed by Persistent Scatterers SAR interferometry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 5821–5828, doi:10.1002/2014GL060956.
Biggs, J., P. Mothes, M. Ruiz, F. Amelung, T. H. Dixon, S. Baker, and S.-H. Hong (2010), Stratovolcano growth by co-eruptive intrusion: The 2008 eruption of Tungurahua Ecuador, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L21302, doi:10.1029/2010GL044942.
Location:-1.467, -78.442
REST API endpoint (JSON):https://comet.nerc.ac.uk/wp-json/volcanodb/v1/volcano/3504

Latest Sentinel-1 Data

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