Evidence for fluid pressurization of fault zones and persistent sensitivity to injection rate beneath the Raton Basin
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Abstract
Subsurface wastewater injection has increased the seismicity rate within the Raton Basin over more than two decades, with the basin-wide injection rate peaked between 2009-2015. To understand the evolution of injection-induced earthquakes, we systematically analyzed 2016-2024 broadband recordings with a machine-learning-based phase picker and constructed a catalog with 95,993 earthquakes (-1≤ML≤4.3). We then inverted for full centroid moment tensors (CMT) for 90 ML ≥ 2 events, with a special interest in constraining the non-double-couple components via probabilistic metrics. Both relocations and CMT solutions support basement-rooted normal faults, including graben and half-graben structures. Furthermore, we observe the non-double-couple components that imply elevated pore pressure in the fault zones. An earthquake cluster emerged in the north-central basin in 2023, preceded by ~1-yr of increased injection volume from wells within 15km. Despite a basin-wide decrease in the injection volume, we highlights the persistence of seismicity that remains to sensitive to injection rates within the Raton Basin.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Evidence for fluid pressurization of fault zones and persistent sensitivity to injection rate beneath the Raton Basin |
| Series title | Geophysical Research Letters |
| DOI | 10.1029/2025GL114675 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 13 |
| Publication Date | July 07, 2025 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Contributing office(s) | Earthquake Science Center |
| Description | e2025GL114675, 11 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado, New Mexico |
| Other Geospatial | Raton Basin |