Infrasound Detections of Low-Magnitude Earthquakes: Preliminary Results of the West Texas Acoustic Experiment

Technical Report · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EDT 2023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/2430122· OSTI ID:2430122

Schaible, Loring Pratt ^[1]; Dannemann Dugick, Fransiska Kate ^[1]; Bowman, Daniel C. ^[1]

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1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Infrasound observations have grown increasingly important for the monitoring of earthquakes. While large earthquakes generate infrasound that can be detected thousands of kilometers away, there are few near-field observations of infrasound generated by low-magnitude events. We describe preliminary results of the West Texas Acoustic Experiment, during which infrasound sensors collected continuous data in the Permian Basin for a six-month period spanning January—June 2023. During this time, more than 1000 earthquakes with magnitudes between 1.2 and 4.2 occurred within 50 km of the network. We used spectral analysis, array processing, and manual inspection of waveforms to evaluate arrivals of infrasound signals following 84 events with magnitudes between 2.5 and 4.2. Here, we describe eight such events and the infrasound signals associated with each. We find detections of seismic-to-acoustic infrasound signals associated with seven events. We also find strong evidence of a laterally-propagating, purely acoustic wave generated by an M2.9 earthquake.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
• DOE Contract Number: NA0003525
• OSTI ID: 2430122
• Report Number(s): SAND--2023-14433
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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