An Assessment of Colorado Seismicity from a Statewide Temporary Seismic Station Network

Monsalve, Gaspar; Viviano, C. E.; Sheehan, A. F.

doi:10.1785/gssrl.79.5.645

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…The US Bureau of Reclamation operates two seismic networks: the Paradox Valley network which records induced seismic activity from saltwater injection [ Ake et al, ; Block , ; Block et al, ; Yeck et al ., ], and the Ridgway seismic network which records seismic activity around Ridgway Dam and Reservoir [ Ake et al, ]. Temporary seismic networks have been deployed to study the Crested Butte 1986 earthquake swarm [ Bott and Wong , ], Colorado Front Range seismicity [ Bott et al, ], large ( M w 4.6 and 5.3) earthquakes in the Raton Basin [ Meremonte et al, ; Rubinstein et al, ], and a statewide broadband network deployed to study mantle structure [ Sheehan et al, ; Lee and Grand , ; Monsalve et al, ]. Many thorough but nonpeer‐reviewed and hard to find assessments of local seismicity in Colorado have been undertaken for seismotectonic evaluations for dams [ Unruh et al, , , ; Ake et al, ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seismicity of the rocky mountains and Rio Grande Rift from the EarthScope Transportable Array and CREST temporary seismic networks, 2008–2010

2017

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We developed a catalog of small magnitude (ML −0.1 to 4.7) seismicity across Colorado and New Mexico from the EarthScope USArray Transportable Array and CREST (Colorado Rocky Mountains Experiment and Seismic Transects) seismic networks from 2008 to 2010 to characterize active deformation in the Rio Grande Rift. We recorded over 900 earthquakes in the Rio Grande Rift region, not including induced earthquakes and mine blasts, and find that the rift is actively deforming both broadly and in distinct regions. Seismic events that are likely induced, mostly in the Raton Basin, make up 66% of the catalog (1837 earthquakes). Neogene faults in the northern rift in north central Colorado are seismically active in the North Park Basin and northwestern Colorado. The central rift from the San Luis Basin (southern Colorado) to south of the Socorro Magma Body is the most seismically active rift region, and seismicity delineates the deformation in the Colorado Plateau transition zone, which is spatially correlated with volcanic vents, dikes, and faults within the western Jemez Lineament. The eastern Jemez Lineament is nearly aseismic and surrounded by a halo of seismicity culminating in boundaries defined by recent moderate (Mw 3.9 and Mw 3.3) earthquakes. The southern rift is characterized by diffuse seismicity in Texas and Mexico. This study provides an updated seismic catalog built with uniformity in seismometer coverage and low epicentral uncertainties (~2 km) that allows for regional evaluation of seismicity. During this time period, clusters of seismicity and moderate magnitude earthquakes characterize deformation in a low‐strain rate extensional environment.

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