Estimation of postseismic deformation parameters from continuous GPS data in northern Sumatra after the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake

Abstract

Continuous global positioning system (GPS) in northern Sumatra detected signal of the ongoing physical process of postseismic deformation after the M9.2 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake. We analyze the characteristics of postseismic deformation of the 2004 earthquake based on GPS networks operated by BIG, and the others named AGNeSS, and SuGAr networks located in northern Sumatra. We use a simple analytical logarithmic and exponential function to evaluate the postseismic deformation parameters of the 2004 earthquake. We find that GPS data in northern Sumatra during time periods of 2005–2012 are fit better using the logarithmic function with τlog of 104.2 ± 0.1 than using the exponential function. Our result clearly indicates that other physical mechanisms of postseismic deformation should be taken into account rather than a single physical mechanism of afterslip only.