Remote Sensing Flight for Volcanic Hazards Assessment, Baja California, Mexico
This project, sponsored by NASA, is a collaboration among Caltech, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California State University - Sacramento, CICESE (Ensenada), and the Comision Federal de Electricidad (Mexico).
Collaborating scientists: Arturo Martin (CICESE), Alejandro Hinojosa Corona (CICESE), Brian Hausback (CSU Sacramento), Dave Pieri (JPL). Graduate student Jane Dmochowski is analyzing these data as part of her thesis research. SURF student Adrian Seymour worked on this project in summer 1999. MURF student Julie Parra is currently working on this project (summer 2000).
The project uses MASTER (Modis-Aster simulator) data collected from a low-flying aircraft, for 2 regions of Baja California that probably had volcanic eruptions about 500 years ago. These areas are the southern Puertecitos Volcanic Province and the Tres Virgenes- La Reforma Caldera region. The MASTER sensor collects 50 spectral bands in visible and infrared wavelengths. We will use these data to map the distribution of volcanic products from the youngest eruptions, and calibrate these results with field work and with measurements from a hand-held spectrometer. We will then determine eruption volumes, recurrence rates, compositions, and distributions of past eruptive products. We will then estimate future eruption scenarios and likely hazards and consequences.The data were collected in late April and early May, 1999. For a quick look at some of the images you can go to the MASTER data archive and look under the Puertecitos and Tres Virgenes flight lines.
Some results of this project will be presented at the upcoming ERIM conference, in Nov. 2000. See the abstract of our presentation.
Click here for a flight line map and here for a blowup of the Puertecitos or Tres Virgenes flight lines.
