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Injection-induced earthquakes on complex fault zones of the Raton Basin illuminated by machine-learning phase picker and dense nodal array
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  • Ruijia Wang,
  • Brandon Schmandt,
  • Miao Zhang,
  • Margaret Elizabeth Glasgow,
  • Eric Kiser,
  • Sarah Rysanek,
  • Ryan Kirk Stairs
Ruijia Wang
University of New Mexico

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Brandon Schmandt
University of New Mexico
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Miao Zhang
Dalhousie University
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Margaret Elizabeth Glasgow
University of New Mexico
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Eric Kiser
University of Arizona
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Sarah Rysanek
University of New Mexico
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Ryan Kirk Stairs
University of New Mexico
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Abstract

Seismicity in the Raton Basin over the past two decades suggests reactivation of basement faults due to wastewater injection. In the summer of 2018, 96 short-period three-component nodal instruments were installed in a highly active region of the basin for a month. A machine-learning based phase picker-(PhaseNet) was adopted and identified millions of picks, which were associated with events using an automated algorithm – REAL (Rapid Earthquake Association and Location). After hypocenter relocation with hypoDD, the earthquake catalog contains 9259 M -2.2 – 3 earthquakes focused at depths of 4-6km. Magnitude of completeness (Mc) varies from -1 at night to -0.5 in daytime, likely reflecting noise variation modulated by wind. The clustered hypocenters with variable depths and focal mechanisms suggest a complex network of basement faults. Frequency-magnitude statistics and the spatiotemporal evolution of seismicity are comparable to tectonic systems.
28 Jul 2020Published in Geophysical Research Letters volume 47 issue 14. 10.1029/2020GL088168