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Rapid response to effusive eruptions using satellite infrared data: The March 2024 eruption of Fernandina (Galápagos)

Diego Coppola1 , Simone Aveni1,2, Adele Campus1, Marco Laiolo1, Francesco Massimetti3,1, Benjamin Bernard4

  • Affiliations: 1Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Italia; 2Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Edile e Ambientale, Università La Sapienza, Roma, Italia; 3Instituto de Geofísica, Vulcanología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México; 4Instituto Geofísico -- Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador

  • Presentation type: Talk

  • Presentation time: Tuesday 09:00 - 09:15, Room R380

  • Programme No: 6.5.3

  • Theme 6 > Session 5

Abstract

On March 3, 2024, a new effusive eruption began from a semi-circular fissure on the southeast flank of Fernandina volcano (Galápagos archipelago, Ecuador). Although the eruption posed no specific risks to people (the island is uninhabited), it provided the opportunity to test a rapid response system to effusive eruptions, based on satellite infrared (IR) data. In this work, we illustrate how the analysis of data coming from multiple IR sensors allowed to monitor the eruption in near real time (e.g. 1-4 hours from image acquisition) by providing recurrent updates on the following parameters: (i) lava discharge rate and trend, (ii) erupted lava volume, (iii) lava flow area, (iv) active flow front position (v) flow velocity and (vi) location of active vents and breakouts. The workout demonstrates the efficiency of satellite thermal data in responding to effusive eruptions and maintaining situational awareness at volcanoes where little ground-based data are available.