Multifractal Characterization of Remotely Sensed Volcanic Features: A Case Study From Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

We used a multifractal approach to characterize scale by scale, the remotely sensed visible and thermal-infrared volcanic field, at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, USA. Our results show that (1) the observed fields exhibit a scaling behavior over a resolution range of ~ 2.5 m to 6 km, (2) they show a strong multifractality, (3) the multifractal parameters α, C1 and H are sensitive to volcanic structural classes such as vent cones, lava ponds and active to inactive lava flows, (4) vegetation area and volcanic gas plumes have a strong effect on the multifractal estimates, and (5) vegetation and cloud-free images show statistical characteristics due to topography related albedo in the visible and predominantly solar heating in the thermal infrared wavelengths.