Radar Interferometry Measurement of Land Subsidence in Phoenix, Arizona

Area Description

Shown below is a map of the Phoenix metropolitan area.  The west half of the Phoenix metropolitan area consists of Deer Valley and the west Salt River Valley.  Deer Valley is bounded by the Phoenix Mountains to the east, the White Tank Mountains to the west, and the Salt River and South Mountains to the south.  This area includes the cities of Glendale, Peoria and Sun City as well as Luke AFB.

The east half of the Phoenix metropolitan area consists of Paradise Valley and the east Salt River Valley.  Paradise Valley is bounded by the Phoenix Mountains to the west, the McDowell Mountains to the east and the Salt River to the south.  This area includes the cities of Scottsdale, Tempe and Mesa.  To the east of Mesa are the towns of Buckhorn and Apache Junction and to the southeast is the town of Queen Creek.

Leveling lines have been the primary source of historical subsidence information for the Phoenix area.  Shown in the table below is a summary of land subsidence for various parts of the Phoenix metropoltan area.  This subsidence has resulted in costly damage to urban infrastructure.  For example, extensive subsidence and the development of earth fissures around Luke AFB have been reported.  McMicken Dam, a 16-km long and 10-meter maximum height dam, was constructed in the 1950s as a flood control for Luke AFB.  Cracks in the dam embankment appeared in the 1960s and resulted in the dam being declared unsafe.  In addition, land subsidence has reversed the flow of water through the Dysart Drain, adversely affecting the control of flood waters north of the base.  Luke AFB was closed for 3 days and sustained more than $3 million in damage in September 1992 due to flood waters spilling over the Dysart Drain from a thunderstorm which dumped four inches of rain to the north of the base.
 

 SAR Data