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Using multispectral satellite data and cloud computing to monitor hydeothermal alteration in Lastarria Volcano

Guosheng Gao^1 ^, Thomas R. Walter1,2, Pouria Marzban1,2,3, Daniel Müller1, Simon Plank4

  • Affiliations: 1GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, Germany; 2Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany; 3German Archaeological Institute (DAI), Scientific Computing Unit, Central Research Services, Berlin, Germany; 4German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Wessling, 82234, Germany

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Thursday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 28

  • Programme No: 3.8.12

  • Theme 3 > Session 8

Abstract

Hydrothermal alteration refers to the interaction between hydrothermal fluids and host rocks. In active volcanoes, the main components of hydrothermally altered rocks could be varied with different intensities of hydrothermal systems, while remote sensing tools can capture the surface manifestation of these rocks. Herein, we review the commonly used remote sensing methodologies and provide a new Hydrothermal Deposit Index (HDI) to achieve long-term monitoring. Lastarria Volcano, located at the center of the Andes volcano belts, was selected as the case study, benefiting from its frequent degassing and a larger area of hydrothermal deposits. We tracked the HDI variation of the main hydrothermal alteration zones during the periods of two newly developed sulfur flows and indicated the dependency relationships. In addition, we demonstrated the HDI increase in the summit crater area accompanied by the obvious expansion of hydrothermal alteration zones prior to the sulfur flow development. Therefore, we considered the surface hydrothermal activity anomalies starting from the summit crater and progressing down to the flank area. The high-intensity hydrothermal energy could significantly enlarge the hydrothermal alteration zones in the summit, while residual energy may vary local fumarole activity and trigger the development of sulfur flows in the flank area.