DEFORMATION OF AUGUSTINE VOLCANO, ALASKA, 1992-2006, MEASURED BY ERS AND ENVISAT SAR INTERFEROMETRY

Augustine volcano is an active stratovolcano located southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. Augustine volcano experienced seven significantly explosive eruptions in 1812, 1883, 1908, 1935, 1963, 1976, and 1986, and a minor eruption in January 2006. To measure ground surface deformation of Augustine volcano, we applied satellite radar interferometry with ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT SAR images acquired from three descending and three ascending satellite tracks. Multiple interferograms are stacked to reduce artifacts due to changes in atmospheric condition and retrieve temporal deformation sequence. For this, we used Least Square (LS) method for reducing atmospheric effects and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) method for the retrieval of a temporal deformation sequence. Interferograms before 2006 eruption show about 3 cm/year subsidence by contraction of pyroclastic flow deposits from the 1986 eruption. Interferograms during 2006 eruption do not show significant deformation around volcano crater. Interferograms after 2006 eruption show again a several cm subsidence by compaction and contraction of pyroclastic flow deposits for a few months. This study demonstrates that satellite radar interferometry can monitor deformation of Augustine volcano to help understand the magma plumbing system driving surface deformation.