Abstract

​From September 19th to December 13th, 2021, the Cumbria Vieja volcano erupted lava and ash that forced the evacuation of over 7,000 residents and tourists; causing 843 million euros worth of damage to infrastructure and properties in the southwest of the island. We used Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery taken before, during, and after the eruption to document the changes to land usage, rock type, and terrain on La Palma island. Land usage and rock type were classified through Maximum Likelihood and referenced to pre-eruption maps of the island. This research forms a solid base upon which further work can be done to understand the active volcanism of La Palma and the hazards it presents to the communities on the island.