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Aseismic Inflation of Westdahl Volcano, Alaska, Revealed by Satellite Radar Interferometry

Z. Lu, C. Wicks, D. Dzurisin, W. Thatcher, J. Freymueller, S. McNutt and D. Mann

Paper reference: Z. Lu, C. Wicks, D. Dzurisin, W. Thatcher, J. Freymueller, S. McNutt and D. Mann, 2000, Aseismic Inflation of Westdahl Volcano, Alaska, Revealed by Satellite Radar Interferometry, Journal of Geophysical Research, 27, 1567-1570

Westdahl volcano, located at the west end of Unimak Island in the central Aleutian volcanic arc, Alaska, is a broad shield that produced moderate-sized eruptions in 1964, 1978-79, and 1991-92. Satellite radar interferometry detected about 17 cm of volcano-wide inflation from September 1993 to October 1998. Multiple independent interferograms reveal that the deformation rate has not been steady; more inflation occured from 1993 to 1995 than from 1995 to 1998. On the basis of the timing and volume of recent eruptions at Westdahl and the fact that it has been inflating for more than 5 years, the next eruption can be expected within the next several years.