Assessment of present-day crustal deformation in the Rio Grande Rift near Socorro, New Mexico, Using Integrated GNSS and InSAR Analysis

The Rio Grande Rift near Socorro, New Mexico is a tectonically active but only moderately instrumented intraplate region where geodetic observations can help constrain present-day crustal and magmatic deformation. This study integrates Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Sentinel-1 Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data to evaluate present-day deformation patterns above the Socorro Magma Body (SMB), one of the largest known mid-crustal magma bodies in continental North America. GNSS time-series analysis from station SC01 was used to estimate station velocity in the IGS14 reference frame, providing a regional kinematic baseline. InSAR interferograms acquired between January and May 2021 were processed to generate unwrapped phase, coherence, and radar line-of-sight (LOS) displacement products for comparison with the GNSS-based regional kinematic reference. The results show a broad, spatially organized LOS uplift signal of up to approximately +4 mm centered over the previously documented SMB uplift region, superimposed on longer-wavelength gradients without clear discrete offsets along mapped rift-bounding faults. Although some spatial variability is present, the interferometric patterns and coherence maps suggest that atmospheric effects and residual orbital signals may contribute to the short-term signal in addition to any magmatically driven contribution. The integrated GNSS–InSAR approach therefore provides a useful deformation baseline for the Socorro region and supports future studies of magmatic intraplating, rift kinematics, and geohazard evaluation in this slowly extending intraplate setting.