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Over The Horizon

Watching Volcanoes

Geothermal activity in the Taupo Volcanic Zone is the focus of a study by Japanese and New Zealand scientists testing the applicability of the Japanese Earth observing satellite JERS-1 for geothermal studies.

Data from the satellite will be compared with data gathered by two other methods, an Australian aircraft scanner called GEOSCAN which collects data from visible and infrared wavelengths, and traditional ground survey sampling and measurement.

JERS-1 collects images of whole areas at an 18-metre resolution, enabling researchers to decide which minerals and vegetation may be present. GEOSCAN images were obtained from 320 kilometres of flight-line over White Island, Ketetahi, Tikitere to Rotorua and Tarawera to Taupo, during both day and night.

"It took a few hours to collect data with an airborne instrument over the whole Taupo Volcanic Zone, compared to the years it would take to do by traditional methods", says Dr Mike Mongillo of the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences.

Eventually all results will be compared to X-ray and spectral analyses of ground-collected samples. Preliminary comparisons of GEOSCAN data with ground data are said to be encouraging.