Satellites detect methane outburst driven by magma-sediment interactions

Satellites detect methane outburst driven by magma-sediment interactions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article Satellites detect methane outburst driven by magma-sediment interactions Edna Dualeh, Juliet Biggs, Shubham Sharma, John Stix, William Hutchison, and 19 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8435396/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Magmatic intrusions into sedimentary rocks can release carbon-based greenhouse gases, dominantly methane, and have been linked to rapid changes in past climate. However, we lack appropriate modern analogues, as most volcanic systems emit very little methane. Here, we report the first confirmed satellite detection of methane emissions from a volcanic system, likely resulting from interactions between magma and sedimentary rocks. In early 2025, Fentale Volcano (Ethiopia) released >38.2 ± 3.9 kilo tonnes of methane, of which 90% was emitted within 31 days. The peak emission rate of 157 ± 41 tonnes per hour is comparable to major industrial blowouts and ~4 orders of magnitude higher than the methane emission rates of other volcanic systems. The emissions followed the intrusion of ~1 km 3 of magma into a dyke which did not erupt. Subsequent emissions of methane and carbon dioxide coincided with localised ground subsidence and thermal anomalies within Fentale’s caldera. We infer that the intrusion disrupted an impermeable cap beneath which methane, derived from hydrocarbon-rich sediments, was trapped. This single outburst is small compared to annual emissions from natural and anthropogenic sources, but demonstrates that some volcanoes can release methane episodically, providing insight into the mechanism of greenhouse gas release in magmatic-sedimentary systems Earth and environmental sciences/Solid Earth sciences/Volcanology Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Palaeoclimate Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences Satellite-based remote-sensing methane emissions magma sediment interac Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files FentaleSupplementary.pdf Supplementary Information Document Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8435396","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":571702485,"identity":"24f9fee9-a596-45af-bc01-72ff2cfaf74a","order_by":0,"name":"Edna Dualeh","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABFUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFCCBCBmY2DgY+BhfMzAIAHkMTeAJSQIaWFj4GE2BqnjYWAkXgubNIhPUAs/e+7BDwxlh+XZ2HuPVRfusbC3Z29sYPhRw5A4swG7Fsmed8kSDOcOG7bxnEu7PeOZRGIPz8EGxp5jDImzcdhicCPHQIKx7TBjm0SO2W2eAxIJPBKJDQy8DQyJ83Bosb+RY/wDqMW+Tf6NWTFQiz1IC+NfPFoMgIaDbElsk+AxYwZqYewBamEG2YLLYRJn3phZJJxLT27jyTGWnnEA6JczBxsOyxyTMMblff72HOMbH8qsbfvZzxh+LjhQZ8/e3nzw4ZsaG9kZB3BYAwIJ6AIH8EXkKBgFo2AUjALCAADyvlR7WicF2AAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2933-3039","institution":"University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Edna","middleName":"","lastName":"Dualeh","suffix":""},{"id":571702486,"identity":"308717c0-20ca-42f4-bba5-29e130547aa6","order_by":1,"name":"Juliet Biggs","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4855-039X","institution":"University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Juliet","middleName":"","lastName":"Biggs","suffix":""},{"id":571702487,"identity":"a93f0f23-d828-4b39-bbbc-f4530c94512b","order_by":2,"name":"Shubham Sharma","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shubham","middleName":"","lastName":"Sharma","suffix":""},{"id":571702488,"identity":"462e6859-06df-436c-9f8d-f2053da9f666","order_by":3,"name":"John Stix","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Department of Earth \u0026 Planetary Sciences, McGill University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"John","middleName":"","lastName":"Stix","suffix":""},{"id":571702489,"identity":"b2c22a05-929f-4141-b738-ef0cf2460439","order_by":4,"name":"William Hutchison","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5456-3277","institution":"University of St Andrews","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"William","middleName":"","lastName":"Hutchison","suffix":""},{"id":571702490,"identity":"aaf2955a-d6ce-4930-a546-fe0e7bbf1db3","order_by":5,"name":"Giuseppe Etiope","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8614-4221","institution":"Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Giuseppe","middleName":"","lastName":"Etiope","suffix":""},{"id":571702491,"identity":"ce191bb0-956a-4941-8281-a6c502de42c2","order_by":6,"name":"Dylan Jervis","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"GHGSat, Inc.","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dylan","middleName":"","lastName":"Jervis","suffix":""},{"id":571702492,"identity":"6eadcbb2-abf4-4594-8bb6-0fc3014e101b","order_by":7,"name":"Lin Way","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3781-2227","institution":"University of Bristol","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lin","middleName":"","lastName":"Way","suffix":""},{"id":571702493,"identity":"8cf863ac-49c6-44af-b505-1ff29585d1f5","order_by":8,"name":"Matthieu Dogniaux","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8870-8073","institution":"SRON Space Research Organisation Netherlands","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Matthieu","middleName":"","lastName":"Dogniaux","suffix":""},{"id":571702494,"identity":"0fbfabf7-d1c4-4811-b0f3-8154ca115b43","order_by":9,"name":"Joannes Maasakkers","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8118-0311","institution":"SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Joannes","middleName":"","lastName":"Maasakkers","suffix":""},{"id":571702495,"identity":"5ec0acc1-8c1c-44a6-a116-c50221f59baa","order_by":10,"name":"Simone Aveni","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Università degli Studi di Torino","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Simone","middleName":"","lastName":"Aveni","suffix":""},{"id":571702496,"identity":"88115fc6-bfd9-4fd7-ad8c-fa9450e6fab7","order_by":11,"name":"Daniel H. 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