All earthquakes above magnitude 2.0 recorded in New Mexico since 1967.
This overlay shows all of the earthquakes recorded in New Mexico since 1967. Patterns that I try to get my students to notice:
- A loose cluster of earthquakes around the area of Socorro. This is thought to be caused by magma moving underground – known as the ‘Soccoro magma body.’
- Tight clusters of earthquakes in serveral locations, especially along the border with Colorado. What are causing these? I have my students zoom in close to see what is happening in these areas. The result? On Google Earth they can see all the drilling pads that were built for fracking – thousands of them.
The KML file for Google Earth: EQs_NM_past50
Example JPG of the map, zoomed out to the extent of the state: NM_earthquakes