Resumen

SARYCHIKHINA, Olga et al. Application of DInSAR to subsidence studies in the Mexicali Valley. Bol. Soc. Geol. Mex [online]. 2011, vol.63, n.1, pp.1-13. ISSN 1405-3322.

It is widely known that geothermal fluid extraction is frequently accompanied by ground subsidence which reaches dozens of centimeters per year. In the Cerro Prieto geothermal field, located in the Mexicali Valley, the subsidence caused by geothermal fluid extraction reaches the rate of 18 cm/yr and is causing damage to infrastructure like roads, railroad tracks, irrigation channels, and agricultural fields. In this paper, Differential Interferometry of Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) data were used and compared with historic precise leveling data, continuous observation of geotechnical instruments installed in the area, and data from geotectonic field mapping to determine the area, limits and rate of subsidence. The results of this study suggest that the area of subsidence is limited by faults: Imperial, Cerro Prieto, Saltillo and Morelia; area also known as Cerro Prieto basin, so the area of subsidence is larger than the area of Cerro Prieto geothermal field. The comparison of subsidence rates obtained by leveling for 1994-1997 and DInSAR method for 2006-2007 allow to determine the subsidence dynamic and relate it with changes in geothermal fluid extraction rate in the Cerro Prieto geothermal field.

Palabras llave : DInSAR; subsidence; Mexicali Valley; geothermal field; Cerro Prieto; fluid extraction.

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