EVALUATING SEISMIC NOISE IN NEW MEXICO SEISMIC STATIONS

Earthquakes, extraction sites, freeways, and even ocean waves have long contributed to what is referred to as seismic background noise throughout seismic stations across the globe. In a recent study of background seismic noise estimation from 1,679 seismic stations across the continental U.S. several factors have contributed to seismic noise; namely the geographic location of the station itself, the lithology of the region, and the proximity of the station to known seismic noise contributors. Using a similar approach, we will be evaluating the background seismic noise for three seismic stations in the southeastern quadrant of the state of New Mexico, which has witnessed significant increase in seismicity in the recent years. Our initial study will focus on one year of continuous seismic data, and we aim to identify key noise sources such as anthropogenic activity and influence of the subsurface structure underneath the station. The results will be useful in identifying noisy and quiet stations, and how the background noise influences data quality and earthquake detection for these three stations.