Susanna Ebmeier Tim J. Wright Michael Poland Raphael Grandin Adam Stinton M. Camejo-Harry B. Esse Mike Burton Edna Dualeh 2023 <p><span>The extrusion rate of a&nbsp;lava dome&nbsp;is a critical parameter for monitoring silicic eruptions and forecasting their development. Satellite radar&nbsp;backscatter&nbsp;can provide unique information about dome growth during a&nbsp;volcanic eruption&nbsp;when other datasets (e.g., optical, thermal, ground-based measurements, etc.) may be limited. Here, we present an approach for estimating volcanic topography from individual backscatter images. Using data from multiple SAR sensors we apply the method to the dome growth during the 2021 eruption at La Soufrière, St. Vincent. We measure an average extrusion rate of 1.8 m</span>³<span>s</span>⁻¹<span>&nbsp;between December 2020 and March 2021 before an acceleration in extrusion rate to 17.5 m</span>³<span>s</span>⁻¹<span>&nbsp;in the 2 days prior to the explosive eruption on 9 April 2021. We estimate a final dome volume of 19.4 million m</span>³<span>, extrapolated from the SAR sensors, with approximately 15% of the total extruded volume emplaced in the last 2 days. A possible explanation for the acceleration in extrusion rate could be the combined emptying of a conduit and reservoir of older material before the ascent of gas-rich&nbsp;magma&nbsp;in April 2021.</span></p> application/pdf 10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117980 en Elsevier Rapid pre-explosion increase in dome extrusion rate at La Soufrière, St. Vincent quantified from synthetic aperture radar backscatter article