PSN-L Email List Message

Subject: High Activity level at the Geysers
From: "Keith Payea" kpayea@..............
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2007 08:52:27 -0700


Hello PSN

I watch activity at "The Geysers" in northern California pretty much daily
since I am only 30 or 35 KM from there.  Here's a link to the USGS map of
the area:

http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/123-39.html  

Usually there are less than ten earthquakes per day, all under magnitude 3.
By watching these and checking my system I can fine tune the triggering and
get some idea of the sensitivity of my system.

For the last several weeks there have been 20 or more quakes per day.
Yesterday there were 25, and today is on pace for 15 or more.  These are all
small, about half are 1.0 or less.

There's a lot going on here, including the pumping of wastewater from Santa
Rosa into the steam field.  I'm also wondering if there have been any
improvements made in the monitoring of this area.  Some of the quakes
recorded are as small as 0.5, which I don't remember ever seeing before.
Does anyone know if changes have been made in the equipment or software?

The various companies "mining" the steam to generate electricity up there
might also be doing something different.

Maybe communists from China have been tunnelling across under the Pacific to
try to take over North America....   Just kidding, I watch too many old
Sci-Fi movies!

I just thought some of you might find this interesting.

Cheers,
 
    Keith
 
Keith Payea
Bryant Labs
kpayea@..............
www.bryantlabs.net  
(707) 566-8935

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