Comparing the performance of dinsar-derived deformation Maps for detecting sinkhole activity in the central sector of the Ebro Valley (NE Spain)

Resumen

Three DInSAR deformation maps have been compared with a sinkhole map of an area of the Ebro Valley located upstream of Zaragoza city. The DInSAR-derived displacement data have allowed us to identify two non-inventoried sinkholes and measure subsidence activity in three sinkholes characterized as inactive in a previous sinkhole map. Despite those findings, the active subsidence features detected in the DInSAR deformation maps represent a low proportion of the active sinkholes inventoried using traditional geomorphological methods. InSAR products provide useful information to construct sinkhole inventories as complete and accurate as possible, and provide valuable data on ground displacement rate, but they need to be combined with geomorphological and ground exploration methods to exploit their máximum potential and avoid erroneous interpretations.