High-resolution digital elevation model from tri-stereo Pleiades-1 satellite imagery for lava flow volume estimates at Fogo Volcano

Resolving changes in topography through time using accurate high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) is key to understanding active volcanic processes. For the first time in a volcanic environment, we utilize very-high-resolution tri-stereo optical imagery acquired by the Pleiades-1 satellite constellation and generate a 1-m-resolution DEM of Fogo Volcano, Cape Verde–the most active volcano in the Eastern Atlantic region. Point cloud density is increased by a factor of 6.5 compared to conventional stereo imagery, and the number of 1 m2 pixels with no height measurements is reduced by 43%. We use the DEM to quantify topographic changes associated with the 2014–2015 eruption at Fogo. Height differences between the post-eruptive Pleiades-1 DEM and the pre-eruptive topography from TanDEM-X give a lava flow volume of 45.83 ± 0.02 x 106 m3, emplaced over an area of 4.8 km2 at a mean rate of 6.8 m3 s-1.