Coseismic displacement field of the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake in 2008 derived using differential radar interferometry

Abstract

We used the radar data from satellite ALOS/PALSAR of Japan and D-InSAR technology to derive the coseismic displacement produced by the Wenchuan, China Ms 8.0 earthquake on 12 May 2008. The result shows that the coseismic displacement primarily concentrated in a near-field range about 100km width on both sides of the Yingxiu-Beichuan fault. The incoherent zone about 250km long and 15~35km wide nearby the fault suffered the largest deformation with surface ruptures. The secondary deformed areas are 70km wide on each side of the incoherent zone, where the displacements exhibit a sunk northern wall with maximum -110~120cm and an uplifted southern wall with maximum 120~130cm, respectively. In the far-field range of the fault, displacements are less than 10cm. Using the offset tracking, we found clear rupture traces and coseismic displacement of 3m along the faults. With a model of four fault sections, we retrieved slip distribution on the faults. The inversion result reveals two slips of 10m at depths 5~20km beneath the Yingxiu-Beichuan fault and one slip of 2.3m at depth 5~20km below the Guanxian-Jiangyou fault, respectively. Thrust faulting dominates the southwestern Yingxiu-Beichuan fault and the entire Guanxian-Jiangyou fault, while right-slip is the primary component along the northeastern Yingxiu-Beichuan fault.