Geodetic Measurements and Numerical Models of Deformation at Coso Geothermal Field, California, USA, 2004–2016

Abstract

We measure transient deformation at Coso geothermal field using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data acquired between 2004 and 2016 and relative positions estimated from global positioning system (GPS) to quantify relationships between deformation and pumping. We parameterize the reservoir as a cuboidal sink and solve for best-fitting reservoir dimensions and locations before and after 2010 in accordance with sustainability efforts implemented in late 2009 at the site. Time-series analysis is performed on volume changes estimated from pairs of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and daily GPS data. We identify decreasing pore-fluid pressure as the dominant mechanism driving the subsidence observed at Coso geothermal field. We also find a significant positive correlation between deformation and production rate.

Keywords

• transient deformation
• spatial analysis
• numerical solutions
• satellite geodesy