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Mapping the 3‐D Lithospheric Structure of the Greater Permian Basin in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico for Earthquake Monitoring
Author(s) -
Huang Guochin Dino,
Savvaidis Alexandros,
Walter Jacob I.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: solid earth
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.983
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 2169-9356
pISSN - 2169-9313
DOI - 10.1029/2019jb018351
Subject(s) - geology , induced seismicity , structural basin , seismology , tectonics , seismic tomography , basin and range topography , inversion (geology) , mantle (geology) , geophysics , paleontology
The Greater Permian Basin is not only a complex tectonic regime, but it has also been and continues to be a productive oilfield where the seismicity rate in the basin has significantly increased since 2008. Since 2015, our understanding of the seismogenesis in the basin has increased owing to the establishment of a statewide seismic network known as TexNet for monitoring earthquake activities. A crucial component of improving the accuracy of the hypocentral location is an accurate velocity model that can better confirm the existing regional tectonic regime. We collected data from current TexNet operations and previously deployed seismic arrays and performed a joint local and teleseismic earthquake tomographic inversion, resulting in a three‐dimensional tomography model for earthquake monitoring. The preferred three‐dimensional tomography model includes a prominent feature at a depth range of 0–20 km, where distinct lower wave speed anomalies overlap with the surface trace of the Delaware Basin. These anomalies suggest a basin‐scale lithological difference from surrounding regions and corroborate basin characteristics. Findings also suggest that the Midland Basin may be more lithologically uniform than the Delaware Basin. A strong correlation exists between dense seismicity clusters and the obtained lower V p / V s ratios. Four significant clusters having V p / V s ratios ranging from 1.689 to 1.720 were identified. Using the V p / V s ratio as a proxy to evaluate the state of the pore‐fluid pressure, we think this spatial correlation suggests that the Greater Permian Basin currently comprises overpressurized fluid‐filled host rocks.