Team Geophysics

The region around Pecos, TX in the Delaware Basin is one of the most seismically active areas of Texas, with ~56 events with M2.0+ reported by the Texas Seismic Network (TexNet) in the first 11 months of 2018 alone. Much of this seismicity appears to be located at less than 6-km depth, but the earthquake depths remain poorly-constrained due to the relatively low number of seismic stations in the Pecos area.  In order to improve earthquake locations, especially depths, and in order to develop improved structural, fault, stress, and velocity models of the region, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has partnered with the Texas Seismological Network (TexNET) to design and install a flexible, regional nodal network around Pecos, TX.
 
Dataset:
We recorded data continuously on ~24 3-component Fairfield Geotechnologies 5-Hz seismic nodes in the Pecos area between 2018-2020. 
 
Societal impact:
The Delaware Basin is located near the complex transition from the Rio Grande Rift to the Great Plains, and we hope this collaboration will result in an improved understanding of the contemporary stress field and faulting in this complex area that will be useful to people living in the Delaware Basin as well as stakeholders in government, academia, and industry.