Studies By The U S Geological Survey In Alaska 2001

Hardcover plus DVD

Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) is a relatively new remote sensing tool that is capable of measuring ground-surface deformation with centimeter-to-subcentimeter precision at a spatial resolution of tens of meters over an area of hundreds to thousands of square kilometers. With its global coverage and all-weather imaging capability, InSAR has become an increasingly important technique for studying volcanoes in remote regions such as the Aleutian Islands. The spatial distribution of surface deformation data derived from InSAR images enables the construction of detailed mechanical models to enhance the study of magmatic processes. InSAR Imaging of Aleutian Volcanoes: • Provides a theoretical framework for InSAR observations and capabilities • Discusses state-of-the-art InSAR analysis techniques • Describes the structure, eruptive history, and magma composition of volcanoes along the entire Aleutian arc • Presents conceptual models for the magma plumbing systems of Aleutian volcanoes based on InSAR results combined with geophysical, geological and geochemical observations. • Synthesizes observations of deformation along the Aleutian arc and compares those results to other active arcs around the world. • Is illustrated throughout with high-resolution color satellite radar images

"The convergent margin of southern Alaska is considered one of the type areas for understanding the growth of continental margins through collisional tectonic processes. Collisional processes that formed this margin were responsible for multiple episodes of sedimentary basin development, subduction complex growth, magmatism, and deformation. Two main collisional episodes shaped this Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental margin. The first event was the Mesozoic collision of the allochthonous Wrangellia composite terrane. This event represents the largest addition of juvenile crust to western North America in the past 100 m.y. The second event is the ongoing collision of the Yakutat terrane along the southeastern margin of Alaska. This Cenozoic event has produced the highest coast mountain range on Earth (Saint Elias Mountains), the Wrangell continental arc, and sedimentary basins throughout southern Alaska. Active collisional processes continue to shape the southern margin of Alaska, mainly through crustal shortening and strike-slip deformation, large-magnitude earthquakes, and rapid uplift and exhumation of mountain belts and high sedimentation rates in adjacent sedimentary basins. This volume contains 24 articles that integrate new geophysical and geologic data, including many field-based studies, to better link the sedimentary, structural, geochemical, and magmatic processes that are important for understanding the development of collisional continental margins."--Publisher's website.