Kinematic and dynamic rupture models of the November 3, 2002 Mw7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake

Abstract

Regional seismic waveforms, continuous and campaign‐mode GPS data, and surface slip measurements were used to obtain a kinematic model of the rupture process of the November 3, 2002 Mw 7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake. The event initiated as a Mw 7.0 reverse slip event on the north‐dipping Susitna Glacier fault with subsequent right‐lateral slip distributed over approximately 300 km of the Denali fault system. Near‐shear rupture velocity is inferred from the kinematic modeling. The average and maximum slips were found to be 2.14 m and 10.3 m. Static stress drop varies from 1.3 to 5.0 MPa over the 5‐segment fault model. Dynamic modeling shows the rupture propagated along the Susitna Glacier and Denali faults, then transferred to the Totschunda fault before stopping, largely due to the Totschunda's more favorable orientation with respect to the regional stress field.