SAR interferometry from satellite and ground-based system for monitoring deformations on the Stromboli volcano

After the collapse of a landslide of 20 million m³ from the NE slope of the Stromboli volcano and the subsequent tsunami at the end of December 2002, a ground-based InSAR system (interferometric synthetic aperture radar) was installed on the flank of the Sciara del Fuoco, a collapse depression formed 5 million BP. Through the radar measurement it has been possible to assess the deformation field over a large portion of the target area and to differentiate different processes. Twelve months of radar monitoring have permitted to follow the temporal and spatial evolution of the mass movement in the Sciara. The landslide showed wide fluctuations in the displacement rate, between 0.6 and 10 mm/h, with acceleration phases coinciding with episodes of more intense effusive activity. The dynamic of the volcano has been also studied through the use of DInSAR from satellite platform. Different images acquired from the ERS2 satellite before and after the collapse of the landslide have been interferometrically processed in order to extract information about the ground deformation occurred on the island due to the volcanic activity.