Volcanic and earthquake hazards at eastern Turkey volcanoes investigated by InSAR

Volcanoes of eastern Turkey have been historically active and are located in a poorly understood tectonic system with abundant faults and fissures. Mt Ararat and Tendürek, for instance, are located in a pull apart basin, and have been affected by significant tectonic earthquakes reaching magnitudes of 7.4 in 1840 and again in 1976, causing 10,000 and 5,000 fatalities, respectively. Today's tectonic and volcanic deformation processed remained to be elaborated, however. Here we report on a radar interferometric study using SAR images acquired by the satellites ERS-1, ERS-2 and ENVISAT in ascending and descending orbits. We create interferograms and combine them into a time series, which now allow us to investigate temporal deformation pattern of the ground at unprecedented spatial detail. Although the volcanoes have not been erupting since 160 years and are considered to be dormant, we find various localized but evident deformation processes. Our investigation suggest both processes, earthquakes as well as volcanic activity, to be responsible for the observed deformation. Thus the presented satellite radar data analysis contributes to process understanding and the associated hazards in eastern Turkey.