Study of the structural changes in the Popocatepetl volcano in Mexico related to microseismicity by applying the lineament analysis to the Aster (Terra) satellite data

TL;DR

This study analyzes the structural changes in Popocatepetl volcano related to microseismic activity by applying lineament analysis to ASTER satellite data, revealing systematic changes associated with volcanic activity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel methodology using satellite-based lineament analysis to monitor volcanic structural changes linked to microseismicity.

Findings

Detected systematic changes in lineament numbers during different seismic activity periods

Established correlation between lineament variations and microseismic activity levels

Proposed a future methodology for early detection of volcanic pressure buildup

Abstract

Mexico is one of the most volcanically active regions in North America. Volcanic activity in central Mexico is associated with the subduction of the Cocos and Rivera plates beneath the North American plate. Periods of enhanced microseismic activity, associated with the volcanic activity of the Popocatepetl volcano is compared with periods, during which the microseismic activity was low. We detected systematical changes in the number of lineaments, associated with the microseismic activity due to lineament analysis of a temporal sequence of high resolution satellite images of the Popocatepetl volcano, provided by the ASTER/VNIR instrument. The Lineament Extraction and Stripes Statistic Analysis (LESSA) software package was used for the lineament extraction. In the future it would allow develop a methodology for detection of possible elevation of pressure in volcano edifice.