USING INSAR TO DELINEATE GROUNDWATER RELATED GROUND DEFORMATION IN THE GREAT BASIN

During the past decade, the growth of InSAR as a research tool in the Geosciences has been significant. InSAR provides the opportunity to detect sub-centimeter surface deformation at near real-time. Because varying atmospheric and surface vegetation conditions adversely affect the coherence of InSAR generated interferograms, the arid Great Basin provides favorable conditions for the use of this method. The NASA InSAR Laboratory at the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, established in 2003, has been utilizing InSAR to catalog groundwater related subsidence signals at several Nevada locales. To date, we have detected signals related to mine dewatering, geothermal production, agricultural and municipal water use, as well as non-groundwater signals such as earthquakes and regional tectonism.

InSAR allows for the detailed analysis of the surface response related to aquifer use over time. The role of structure, geology, regional groundwater flow, production volumes, etc. can also be integrated on a site specific basis. Here we will present the results of several ongoing studies of large open pit mines in Nevada, agricultural signals at several locations across the Great Basin, as well as municipal generated signals near several of the densely populated centers in Nevada.