This paper provides the first wide-area Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) survey of the whole eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (42,200 km²). The aims are to identify ground deformation hotspots within major urbanized areas and rural valleys, establish baselines in geothermal exploration sites, and analyze deformation at geothermal exploitation sites and its relationship with energy production. The whole 2003–2010 ENVISAT C-band SAR archive available over the region was processed with the Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) InSAR method to retrieve over 840,000 coherent targets and estimate their ground displacement rates and time series. Land subsidence hotspots due to aquifer drawdown are found within the city of Puebla (up to −53 mm/year vertical rates, groundwater pumping for industrial use), Tlaxcala and Apizaco (−17 mm/year, industrial and public), the valley of Tecamachalco (−22 mm/year, agricultural), Tulancingo (−55 mm/year, public, industrial and agricultural), and in the eastern Mexico City metropolitan area (−44 mm/year, agricultural). The baseline for the Acoculco caldera complex shows widespread ground stability. Conversely, localized subsidence patterns of −5 to −10 mm/year exist around Las Derrumbadas and Cerro Pinto in the Serdán-Oriental basin, due to intense groundwater pumping for agriculture. A well-defined land subsidence area with −11 mm/year maximum rates is found at Los Humeros volcanic complex within Los Potreros collapse, correlating well with energy production infrastructure location and historical steam production rates. Field surveys carried out in Acoculco and Los Humeros in 2018 provide supporting evidence for the identification of hydrothermal manifestations, and understanding of the landscape and surface deformation patterns within the geothermal fields.

This paper comprises a geomorphologic map of the Las Derrumbadas (LDR) volcanic complex in Mexico. The complex stretches over more than 285 km², the stratigraphic column encompasses a range age from Cretacious to Quaternary. The methodology used involved the analysis of digital morphometric models, satellite imagery and absolute datings. The result is a 1:40,000 scale map, which is divided into two large geomorphologic groups in terms of the dominant processes: exogenic and endogenic This, in turn, are divided into various subgroups representing the morphological complexity of the study area, principally related to volcanic processes and their coherence with slope processes.

This study poses the following research question: Where and how can low- to medium-enthalpy geothermal resources in Northern México be harnessed to promote a territorially anchored, socially inclusive energy transition? Hence, the potential contribution of geothermal direct uses to sustainable local development in Sonora—one of México’s largest and most economically diverse states—is examined in this article. In Sonora, a semi-arid region with dispersed populations and underutilized geothermal resources, the research integrates spatial analysis and socio-territorial indicators to identify areas where geothermal direct uses can deliver inclusive development benefits. Thermal data of 88 thermal springs and 36 wellbores were examined, in which in situ temperatures and geothermal gradients were found from 30 to 80 °C and 20–200 °C/km, respectively. This resulted in a catalog of 28 direct uses based on the energy needs and demands of the population near the sites. Then, a composite methodological framework was developed that combined the Geothermal Suitability Index (GSI), the Socio-Productive Energy Demand Index (SPEDI), and the Territorial Vulnerability Index (TVI). These indices and the catalog were overlaid to detect municipalities where high geothermal potential, energy needs, and social vulnerability intersect. Results show that sites such as Bacadehuachi, Cajeme, and Fronteras offer high-priority opportunities for agri-food processing, aquaculture, and heating/cooling applications. The findings contribute to broader debates on rural energy access, energy justice, and decentralized planning, providing evidence-based guidance for policy design that aligns renewable energy deployment with regional equity and resilience goals.

En este trabajo, se realizó el análisis estadístico de los datos de los registros entre 1964 al 2017 en los catálogos del Servicio Sismológico Nacional (SSN), del Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) y del Instituto de Ingeniería de la UNAM. Los resultados fueron analizados con base en el valor de ‘b’ de la relación Gutenberg Richter (1954) concluyendo que el estado de Michoacán se divide en 4 regiones sísmicas. La región A, de alta sismicidad, donde se han generado sismos de magnitud considerable como el sismo de 1985 de M 8.1, y donde se tiene evidencia de ellos, de magnitud > M6 desde aquel año. La región B-1, la sismicidad es relativamente moderada. La región B-2 con sismicidad relativamente moderada (con diferentes sistemas de fallas). La región C presenta alto peligro sísmico derivado de los estudios realizados y las evidencias del contexto geodinámico de la zona, y por la cercanía con la Ciudad de México. El resultado permitirá mitigar y tener un mejor entendimiento del peligro y riesgo sísmico de Michoacán.

Water erosion is the main soil degradation process in landscapes under human pressure. The assessment of soil losses according to biophysical factors is the key to understanding erosion processes. This study aimed to assess the biophysical and anthropological factors controlling the change in water soil erosion rates under different morphological units as an indicator of geological evolution, topographic variety, and land use. The revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model was employed to estimate the soil erosion rates and evaluate soil loss. The geographic information system was used to present the spatial distribution of soil erosion and its change induced by geological and morphological factors. Non-parametric multidimensional scaling ordinations were applied to evaluate similarities in soil erosion parameters between six geomorphological units. The analyses showed a clear clustering between morphological units, both in terms of absolute soil loss and in the distribution pattern of erosion rates. The unit, characterized by variable slopes and consisting of basic and acid rocks, has been found to have the highest soil loss rate due to its age. This small unit, along with others of similar size, significantly contributes to the total soil loss. On the other hand, areas of low slope that are conducive to agriculture ranks highest in sediment production. The land use and management factor, particularly the presence of secondary vegetation, supports water erosion. However, the findings indicate that erosional processes in complex landscapes are driven by a combination of this factor, the age of the units, and the high topographic variability.