Researchers Identified Two Magma Reservoirs at Masaya
Satellite radar data from 2018 to 2024 revealed subsurface inflation and deflation patterns at the Nicaraguan volcano.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Geology
Live Poll
Do you trust that improved scientific monitoring makes your local community safer from natural disasters?
Researchers from Penn State identified two distinct active magma reservoirs beneath Masaya volcano using satellite radar measurements collected between 2018 and 2024. These findings provide a new understanding of the volcano's internal plumbing system.
Why it matters
Understanding how magma moves between subsurface reservoirs is essential for long-term volcanic hazard monitoring at basaltic volcanoes with persistent lava lakes. This research clarifies the mechanics behind ground deformation, though researchers noted no immediate danger to the 2 million people living within 13 miles.
Researchers used interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)—a technique that detects millimeter-scale ground displacement—to map surface changes captured by Sentinel-1 satellite passes every 12 days.
The players
Penn State
A major public research university with expertise in geosciences and remote sensing.
The details
The study tracked distance changes between the satellite and the volcanic surface to infer magma movement. Ground rising within the caldera suggests magma influx into a storage reservoir, while surface sinking near the Santiago crater indicates the drainage of magma from an underground system. Masaya has not experienced a major lava flow since 1772, but these radar insights offer a high-resolution view of the shifting magma volumes that drive surface deformation.
Timeline
1772: The year of the volcano's last major lava flow.
2018-2024: The study period for ground movement observations.
July 23, 2026: Findings were published in Geophysical Research Letters.
The Tech Race
This research advances the use of frequent satellite-based radar imagery to monitor volcanic activity in real time. It contributes to a broader effort in geophysics to better model magma storage systems at volatile sites compared to traditional ground-based sensor networks.
This research is currently a retrospective analysis and does not change daily life or local safety protocols for the 2 million people residing near the volcano. Future modeling may eventually contribute to improved hazard assessment tools for regional authorities.
The takeaway
This study highlights the power of frequent orbital radar to map the internal structures of active volcanoes without requiring ground-based instrumentation. Researchers will continue to focus on modeling the connections between these storage zones to improve future volcanic activity forecasts.
Further reading
For more on how radar interferometry is changing geological surveillance, visit our Geology section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SciTechDaily.
Live Poll
Do you trust that improved scientific monitoring makes your local community safer from natural disasters?
