Vamshi Karanam

Assistant Professor of Geology
School of Physical Sciences, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

I study how the ground deforms when fluids are pumped out of or into the subsurface. Most of my work is in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, where oil and gas production and wastewater injection make the land sink and rise, reactivate faults and push old wells to blow out. I measure the motion with satellite radar interferometry (InSAR) and GNSS, and use geomechanical models to work out what is driving it underground. I have also worked on groundwater-driven subsidence beneath Delhi and coal fires in eastern India.

I joined UA Little Rock in 2026 after a Ph.D. in Geophysics at Southern Methodist University, where I held a NASA FINESST award.

Research

My main focus is fluid-driven deformation in the Permian Basin. Each area combines satellite measurements of ground motion with models of the processes underneath.

Fluid-driven deformation in the Permian BasinWest Texas and southeastern New Mexico
Urban subsidence and groundwaterDelhi National Capital Region, India
Mining, slopes and rock glaciersJharia, Joshimath and Southeastern Alaska
Methods for new SAR missions

Peak ground motion 14 cm is 5.1 fringes

A simulated interferogram of sinking ground beside a patch of uplift. Each full cycle of colour is 2.8 cm of motion along the line of sight of Sentinel-1. Drag the slider to change the amount of motion.

Recent publications

Hydrometeorological and Topographic Controls Govern Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity in Rock Glacier Kinematics: Insights from Satellite Interferometry in Southeastern Alaska

Sui, Q.; Lu, Z.; Meng, T.; Kim, J.-W.; Higman, B.; Dai, C.; Budukumah, E.; McColl, S.; Howat, I.; Hults, C.; Karanam, V.; Liang, K. (2026). Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 131(4).
Offset tracking with geocoded SLC

Liang, K.; Kim, J.; Lu, Z.; Fattahi, H.; Bato, M.G.; Brancato, V.; Jeong, S.; Karanam, V. (2025). IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing.
Insights into Temporal Evolution of Induced Earthquakes in the Southern Delaware Basin Using Calibrated Relocations from the TexNet Catalog (2017–2022)

Aziz Zanjani, A.; DeShon, H.R.; Karanam, V.; Savvaidis, A. (2025). Earth and Space Science, 12, e2024EA004027.
Investigation of Oil Well Blowouts Triggered by Wastewater Injection in the Permian Basin, USA

Karanam, V.; Lu, Z.; Kim, J. (2024). Geophysical Research Letters, 51, e2024GL109435.

All publications

In the news

Bloomberg 16 September 2025

Texas Oil Boom Spawns a Toxic Crisis of the Industry’s Own Making
Newsweek 4 November 2024

Well Blowouts in Texas Prompt $100M Emergency Funding Plea
Reuters 14 August 2024

Texas oil regulator under scrutiny as zombie wells gush back to life.
The Texas Tribune 7 August 2024

Ranchers reported abandoned oil wells spewing wastewater. A new study blames fracking.

All 25 stories

Updates

2026Joined the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as Assistant Professor of Geology.
2026Named one of Geospatial World’s 50 Rising Stars.
2026Completed a Ph.D. in Geophysics at Southern Methodist University.
2026New paper on rock glacier motion in Southeastern Alaska, in JGR: Earth Surface.
2025Research featured in Bloomberg’s “Texas Oil Boom Spawns a Toxic Crisis of the Industry’s Own Making.”

Lab

I lead the Earth Observation and Geohazards Lab at UA Little Rock, a new group working on earth observation, geospatial science and natural hazards.