Volcanic movement

2010/07/08 Aulestiarte Lete, Izaro - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa

• Geologia

This Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) interferogram corresponds to the environment of the Rift Valley (Kenya) in Africa, where small displacements of the land surface can be seen. That is, in the image appear the movements of the volcano Longonot, both in the front and in the right, that we could not perceive in sight. In the background appears the volcano Suswa, which on this occasion has not suffered deformation.

Taking advantage of SAR interferometry (InSAR), a group of scientists have found that between 1997 and 2000 the Suswa and Menengai volcanoes (the latter is not seen in the image) sank between 2 and 5 centimeters. Between 2004 and 2006 the Longonot volcano has risen about 9 centimeters.

Photo: ESA.