Monitoring Volcanic Deformation

Abstract

Tracking the migration of magma as it propagates to the Earth's surface is crucial in eruption forecasting as well as in volcanic hazardassessment. When magma accumulates at shallow depth or propagates towards the surface, it induces surface displacement, as wellas seismicity and gas emission.Whereas research seeks to push the boundaries of our knowledge of the physics of volcanoes by combining enhanced geodeticmonitoring with advances in experimental and mathematical models for volcanic processes, monitoring looks at changes in activeand potentially active volcanoes to issue timely warnings of potential volcanic hazards. To be effective, monitoring of surfacedeformation must be done before, during, and after eruptions and must be integrated with other monitoring techniques (e.g.,seismology, geochemistry, physical volcanology, remote sensing). It requires a long-term (years to decades) commitment of timeand resources.