Investigating the 2016 Jackson, Wyoming Earthquake Sequence Using Waveform Cross-Correlation and Seismic Array Methods

Emily Jo Graves, University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

During a visual inspection of PDAR data extracted for the catalog events, I observed additional, unreported events, which is to be expected during an energetic swarm or seismic sequence. The casual observation of missed events strongly implied that more such missed events could be found in the data, which could improve the completeness of the earthquake catalog for the Jackson, Wyoming area. Catalog completeness improves our assessment of a region’s tectonic behavior and earthquake exposure. To search for recurring swarm or earthquake sequence behavior, I applied waveform correlation methods to scan nearly two decades of continuous PDAR waveforms, comparing to template events selected from the “Jackson Swarm” catalog, to identify repeating events from the source area of the swarm. The array processing methods explored in this study were able to determine earthquake locations using PDAR with an average accuracy of nearly 11 km. These errors are permissible in studies to determine areas of seismological interest and the identification of regions impacted by mining explosions and nuclear testing. Two unreported events were identified using from the cross-correlation scan, dismissing the possibility of previous swarm behavior, and indicating a main shock—aftershock sequence.

Subject Area

Geophysics|Geophysical engineering

Recommended Citation

Graves, Emily Jo, "Investigating the 2016 Jackson, Wyoming Earthquake Sequence Using Waveform Cross-Correlation and Seismic Array Methods" (2018). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI13424564.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI13424564

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