Estimating SiO2 content of lava deposits in the humid tropics using remotely sensed imagery

Remote sensing methods used to determine the rheology and SiO2 composition of lava flows on Mars were utilized to estimate the composition of lava deposits in the Philippines. Test cases were conducted on two lava domes and two lava flow deposits to determine whether remote sensing methods can be applied as a rapid and economical means to assess hazards associated with volcanoes in the humid tropics. Our study shows that dimensional parameters derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) generated from airborne sensors are effective in determining the SiO2 content of lava deposits. The SiO2 values computed from the rheological properties of lava are found to be comparable to geochemically analyzed field samples. These results suggest that remote sensing methods to estimate the composition of lava deposits is viable and can serve as a potentially useful tool for rapid and economic hazards assessment of volcanoes in tropical regions. With the growing number of high-resolution satellite sensors that routinely image the Earth's surface, such a technique can be widely utilized.