Coseismic Slip Distribution Research Articles

Fault slip distribution of the 2015 Mw7.8 Gorkha (Nepal) earthquake estimated from InSAR and GPS measurements

Inversion of the coseismic slip distribution is important for understanding seismogenic mechanisms. In this study, the geometric parametersand uncertainties for the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal were inverted using a Bayesian approach. The coseismic fault slip distribution was inverted based on triangular dislocations from interferometrc synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and Global Positioning System (GPS) surface displacement measurements. The inversion results show that the rupture propagated southeast for approximately 140 km, with most of the slip constrained within 30 - 40 km along the dip direction. There are two peak slips in the slip distribution: a ∼5.9 m slip located ∼50 km southeast of the epicenter at a depth of 10.2 km, and a ∼6.32 m slip located ∼100 km southeast of the epicenter at a depth of 10 km. Near the Mw7.3 aftershock, the rupture propagated to the north and southeast. The gap in slip formed between the mainshock and the Mw7.3 aftershock is similar to the shape of a “crocodile with an open mouth”. The results of the triangular dislocation model can explain the GPS-based coseismic displacements and the InSAR deformation field when compared with a classic rectangular dislocation, with a 10.6 cm reduction in the average residual of the InSAR data and a 2 cm reduction in the average residual of the GPS deformation. Compared to the geometry of a ramp—flat—ramp structure, we postulate that both a single-segment and multiple-segments are possible near Kathmandu.

Correlation of frontal prism structures and slope failures near the trench axis with shallow megathrust slip at the Japan Trench

Since the giant 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, much research has focused on the distribution of coseismic slip at shallow depths during this subduction megathrust event. Here we present seismic images obtained in the immediate vicinity of the trench axis, that show thrust faults and fold-and-thrust type deformation structures near the epicenter of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake where the large coseismic slip has been inferred, and chaotic structure and the absence of thrust faults in northern and southern source areas. Seismic profiles show evidence of slope failures of the trench inner wall in a proposed tsunami source region around 39°–40° N, where the slips estimated from previous studies are in disagreement. Our results show that structural characteristics in the trench axis may be related to the occurrence of shallow megathrust slip and tsunamigenesis in the Japan Trench.

Modeling repeated coseismic slip to identify and characterize individual earthquakes from geomorphic offsets on strike-slip faults

Coseismic slip distributions of repeated earthquakes are important data used to forecast magnitude and recurrence characteristics of future earthquakes. Many studies infer coseismic slip of past individual paleoearthquakes from frequency histograms of geomorphic offsets. Such histograms, often expressed as a COPD (cumulative offset probability distribution), commonly show multiple peaks with similar displacements, which are interpreted to be incremental slip associated with successive paleoearthquakes. However, assumptions in linking COPD peaks to individual earthquakes have not been fully explored. Here, we combine statistical modeling with global historical coseismic surface rupture data to evaluate the conditions required for the approach. The results show that only coseismic slip with low variability allow more than one event identification; for example, even low CoVs (coefficient of offset variation) of 0.25 and 0.35 permit identification of only 2 to 3 events. In contrast, the mean CoV value for all historical ruptures is 0.58 to 0.66. Furthermore, interpreting the first COPD peak as a single-event slip distribution could result in artificially low variation and flatter distribution of offset than observed in historical earthquakes. This study cautions that robust COPD interpretation on large strike-slip faults requires low offset variability, a sufficient number of offset measurements, and additional constraints like historical coseismic slip data or paleoseismic event sequence data.

Kinematics of Fault Slip Associated with the 4–6 July 2019 Ridgecrest, California, Earthquake Sequence

ABSTRACT The 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquake sequence produced observable crustal deformation over much of central and southern California, as well as surface rupture over several tens of kilometers. To obtain a detailed picture of the fault slip involved in the 4 July M 6.4 foreshock and 6 July M 7.1 mainshock, we combine strong-motion seismic waveforms with crustal deformation observations to obtain kinematic and static slip models of both events. We sample the regional seismic wavefield for both the foreshock and mainshock with three-component records from 31 stations of the California Integrated Seismic Network. The deformation observations include Global Positioning System (GPS), Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), and borehole strainmeter recordings of the dynamic strain field. These data collectively constrain the kinematic coseismic slip distributions of the events, with measurements variously observing coseismic slip from one event (e.g., seismic waveforms, kinematic solutions from continuous GPS, and strainmeter time series) or coseismic slip from both events combined (InSAR). We find that the foreshock ruptured two separate faults, one with left-lateral strike slip on a northeast–southwest-trending fault and the other with right-lateral strike slip on an orthogonal fault, with unilateral rupture propagation along both. The mainshock ruptured a series of northwest–southeast-trending faults with right-lateral strike slip concentrated in the uppermost 6 km with exceptionally low-rupture velocity averaging 1.0–1.5 km/s. A possible explanation for the low-rupture velocity is that the mainshock rupture expended relatively high energy, generating secondary fractures in off-fault deformation, which is consistent with field and seismic evidence of plastic deformation on small fault strands adjacent to the main rupture trace.

Improvement on spatial resolution of a coseismic slip distribution using postseismic geodetic data through a viscoelastic inversion

Obvious crustal deformation is observed during a postseismic period as well as a coseismic period associated with a large earthquake. Major mechanisms of transient postseismic deformation are known as afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation. Since the viscoelastic relaxation occurs as a response to a coseismic slip, postseismic deformation provides information on coseismic deformation through the viscoelastic response. However, most previous studies have not thoroughly utilized postseismic geodetic observational data for revealing coseismic slip behaviors. In this study, we developed a slip inversion method that simultaneously estimates coseismic slip and postseismic slip distributions from coseismic and postseismic geodetic observational data using viscoelastic Green’s function (viscoelastic inversion method). We investigated the performance of the viscoelastic inversion method via two synthetic tests: one assumed a strike–slip event along an inland fault, while the other assumed a dip–slip event along a plate interface in a subduction zone. Both synthetic tests demonstrated that when extensive postseismic observational data were given, the viscoelastic inversion method provided a superior spatial resolution of coseismic slip distributions compared to conventional elastic inversion distributions. We also applied the viscoelastic inversion method to co- and post-seismic deformations associated with the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake. The seafloor geodetic observational network of the off-Tohoku region has been widely extended after the occurrence of the mainshock. Using this extended seafloor geodetic observational data, we successfully improved the spatial resolution of the coseismic slip distribution through the viscoelastic inversion method. Furthermore, using the seafloor observational data during the postseismic period, our inversion method enables us to obtain high spatial resolution of the coseismic slip in the offshore area and a reasonable coseismic slip distribution even if seafloor observational data during the coseismic period are unavailable. These results clarify the importance of deploying a geodetic observational network even after large coseismic events to assess past coseismic slip behaviors by considering the viscoelasticity of the Earth.

The 2018 Mw 7.9 Offshore Kodiak, Alaska, Earthquake: An Unusual Outer Rise Strike‐Slip Earthquake

AbstractThe rupture process of the 2018 Mw 7.9 offshore Kodiak (Alaska) earthquake is still in hot dispute because of a lack of offshore observations, thus causing difficulties for understanding seismogenic tectonics and tsunami hazards. In this study, teleseismic body waves, high‐rate GPS, seismic waves preceding tsunami waves, static GPS, and tsunami data are jointly used to resolve the faulting geometry and coseismic slip distribution of the offshore Kodiak earthquake. Tests of a series of finite fault rupture models illustrate that an optimal five‐fault model can reconcile all available data sets well. The results reveal that the asperity on each fault segment is located near the hypocenter, with peak slip of ~7.8 m. The aftershock loci appear to be complementary to the mainshock slips, demonstrating the velocity‐strengthening regions that predominantly slip aseismically. Based on a tectonic stress field analysis, we propose that the 2018 Kodiak earthquake is attributed to a combination of enhanced tensional stress following the 1964 Mw 9.2 Alaska earthquake and compressional stress produced by the collision of the Yakutat terrane with North America.

Stress Release Process Along an Intraplate Fault Analogous to the Plate Boundary: A Case Study of the 2017 M5.2 Akita‐Daisen Earthquake, NE Japan

AbstractStress accumulation and release inside the plate remains poorly understood compared to that at the plate boundaries. Spatiotemporal variations in foreshock and aftershock activities can provide key constraints on time‐dependent stress and deformation processes inside the plate. The 2017 M5.2 Akita‐Daisen intraplate earthquake in NE Japan was preceded by intense foreshock activity and triggered a strong sequence of aftershocks. We examine the spatiotemporal distributions of foreshocks and aftershocks and determine the coseismic slip distribution of the mainshock. Our results indicate that seismicity both before and after the mainshock was concentrated on a planar structure with N‐S strike that dips steeply eastward. We observe a migration of foreshocks toward the mainshock rupture area, suggesting the possibility that foreshocks were triggered by aseismic phenomena preceding the mainshock rupture. The mainshock rupture propagated toward the north, showing less slip beneath foreshock regions. The stress drop of the mainshock was 1.4 MPa, and the radiation efficiency was 0.72. Aftershocks were intensely triggered near the edge of large coseismic slip regions where shear stress increased. The aftershock region expanded along the fault strike, which can be attributed to the postseismic aseismic slip of the mainshock. We find that the foreshocks, mainshock, aftershocks, and postseismic slip released stress at different segments along the fault, which may reflect differences in frictional properties. Obtained results were similar to those observed for interplate earthquakes, which supports the hypothesis that the deformation processes along plate boundaries and intraplate faults are fundamentally the same.

Automatic Inversion of Rupture Processes of the Foreshock and Mainshock and Correlation of the Seismicity during the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence

Abstract The 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquake sequence included an Mw 6.4 foreshock on 4 July, followed by an Mw 7.1 mainshock about 32 hr later. We determined the rupture patterns of the foreshock and mainshock by applying the automatic iterative deconvolution and stacking method to strong-motion records. The foreshock was characterized by a unilateral rupture toward the southwest, and the shallow portion had a relatively large slip with the maximum value of ∼1.4 m. The mainshock presents an asymmetrical bilateral rupture with an average rupture velocity of 2.0 km/s. More than 80% of the seismic moment was released on the northwest segment of the fault, producing a maximum slip of ∼5.2 m. With the two inferred slip models, we calculated the Coulomb failure stress change (ΔCFS) to analyze the spatial–temporal correlation of the seismicity activity in this sequence. The result shows that the epicenter of the Mw 7.1 mainshock was brought 0.4 bars closer to failure by the Mw 6.4 foreshock, and the stress-increased zone has a good spatial consistence with the coseismic slip distribution of the mainshock and the aftershock distribution of the foreshock. Besides, the positive ΔCFS induced by the mainshock also enhanced its aftershock activity, especially at depths of 4–10 km where the major rupture occurred, inferring that the mainshock-induced ΔCFS may be responsible for the occurrence of aftershocks. In addition, we test the effects of different cutoff frequencies and crust velocity structures on the inversion results. The result reveals that the main source rupture characteristics are almost independent of these factors, implying a high reliability of automation inversion of strong-motion data. Overall, this work indicates that automatic inversion of strong-motion data can provide reliable and rapid rupture model, which is essential for earthquake emergency responses and tsunami early warnings.

The 2019 Mw 6.4 and Mw 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence in Eastern California: rupture on a conjugate fault structure revealed by GPS and InSAR measurements

SUMMARYOn 4 and 6 July 2019, an Mw 6.4 foreshock and an Mw 7.1 main shock successively struck the city of Ridgecrest in eastern California. These two events are the most significant earthquake sequences to strike in this part of California for the past 20 yr. We used both continuous global positioning system (GPS) measurements and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) images taken by the Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 satellites in four different viewing geometries to fully map the coseismic surface displacements associated with these two earthquakes. Using these GPS and InSAR measurements both separately and jointly, we inverted data to find the coseismic slip distributions and fault dips caused by the two earthquakes. The GPS-constrained slip models indicate that the Mw 7.1 main shock was predominately controlled by right-lateral motions on a series of northwest-trending faults, while the Mw 6.4 foreshock involved both right-lateral slipping on a northwest-trending fault and left-lateral slipping on a northeast-trending fault. The two earthquakes both generate significant surface slip, with the maximum inferred slip of 5.54 m at the surface. We estimate the cumulative geodetic moment of the two earthquakes to have been 4.93 × 1019 Nm, equivalent to Mw 7.1. Furthermore, our calculations of the changes in static Coulomb stress suggest that the Mw 7.1 main shock was promoted significantly by the Mw 6.4 foreshock. This latest Ridgecrest earthquake sequence ruptured only the northern part of the seismic gap between the 1992 Mw 7.3 Landers earthquake and the 1872 M 7.4–7.9 Owens Valley earthquake. The earthquake risk in this area, therefore, remains very high, considering the significant accumulation of strain in the Eastern California Shear Zone, especially in the southern part of the seismic gap.

Dominant Afterslip of the 2010 Mw 6.9 Yushu, Tibetan Plateau Earthquake as Derived from GPS Observations: Implication for Seismic Hazard Assessment

The Mw 6.9 Yushu earthquake occurred on 14 April 2010, rupturing the Yushu segment of the previously mapped left-lateral strike-slip Ganzi-Yushu fault, southeastern Tibet. We constructed eight temporary GPS benchmarks across the faulting belt in a quick mode within 1 week after the mainshock. The newly constructed benchmarks and seven pre-existing ones were observed in campaign mode, with each session lasting for 3 consecutive days. The entire observations spanned a period of 250 days until the end of 2010, capturing early post-seismic transients induced by the Yushu earthquake. The GPS-derived post-seismic motions generally had the same orientations as the coseismic displacements. The post-seismic displacement time series are modeled with a logarithmic function, obtaining a characteristic decay time scale of 6.7 ± 0.2 days. Using the GPS site displacements, we investigated the possible mechanism of the stress relaxation process. The estimated surface displacements due to possible poroelastic rebound did not agree with the observed displacements. Multiple tests with various viscoelastic models, including the Burgers model, standard linear solid rheology and Maxwell relaxation model, show that the viscoelastic deformation in the early post-seismic phase was possibly insignificant. Thus afterslip was deemed dominant in the process of stress relaxation. We identified that the afterslip was primarily located at the northwestern and southeastern flanks of coseismic slip distribution, anti-correlated with the coseismic slip spatially. Moreover, we found that the time-dependent afterslip decays rapidly with time. With moments released by the aftershocks and afterslip taken into account, we derived a new recurrence period of 124–452 years for an M 7 class earthquake similar to the Yushu earthquake in the Ganzi-Yushu fault. The newly derived recurrence interval benefits the seismic hazard assessment in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.

Constraints on the Geometry and Frictional Properties of the Main Himalayan Thrust Using Coseismic, Postseismic, and Interseismic Deformation in Nepal

AbstractThe geometry and frictional properties of a fault system are key parameters required to understand its seismic behavior. The Main Himalayan Thrust in Nepal is the type example of a continental megathrust and forms part of a fault system which accommodates a significant fraction of India‐Eurasia convergence. Despite extensive study of this zone of shortening, the geometry of the fault system remains controversial. Here, we use interseismic, coseismic, and postseismic geodetic data in Nepal to investigate the proposed downdip geometries. We use interseismic and coseismic data from previous studies, acquired before and during the 2015 7.8 Gorkha earthquake. We then supplement these by processing our own postseismic deformation data, acquired following the Gorkha earthquake. We find that kinematic modeling of geodetic data alone cannot easily distinguish between the previously proposed geometries. We therefore develop a mechanical joint coseismic‐postseismic slip inversion which simultaneously solves for the distribution of coseismic slip and rate‐strengthening friction parameters. We run this inversion using the proposed geometries and find that they are all capable of explaining the majority of geodetic data. We find values for the rate parameter, , from the rate‐and‐state friction law that are between 0.8 and , depending on the geometry used. These values are in agreement with results from laboratory studies and those inferred from other earthquakes. We suggest that the limitations of earthquake cycle geodesy partly explain the continued controversy over the geometry and role of various faults in the Nepal Himalaya.

A-optimal design method to determine the regularization parameter of coseismic slip distribution inversion

ABSTRACTThe key to the inversion of a coseismic slip distribution is to determine the regularization parameters. In view of the determination of regularization parameters in seismic slip distribution inversion, the A-optimal design method is proposed in this paper. The L-curve method and A-optimal design method are used to design simulation experiments, and the inversion results show that the A-optimal design method is superior to the L-curve method in determining the regularization parameters. These two methods are also used to determine the regularization parameters of the L'Aquila and Lushan earthquake slip distribution inversions, and the results are consistent with those of other research conducted at home and abroad. Compared with the L-curve method, the A-optimal design method has the advantages of a high accuracy that does not rely on the data fitting accuracy.

Geodetic Model of the 2017 Mw 6.5 Mainling Earthquake Inferred from GPS and InSAR Data

On 17 November 2017, a Mw 6.5 earthquake occurred in Mainling County, Nyingchi City, China. The epicenter was located in the Namche Barwa region of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. Here, we have derived coseismic deformation from Global Positioning System (GPS) data and ascending Sentinel-1A Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. Based on a joint inversion of the two datasets, we obtained the coseismic slip distribution along a curved, northeast trending, and high-angle (dip angle of 75°) thrust fault. Our results show that the seismic moment release was 7.49 × 1018 N∙m, corresponding to a moment magnitude of Mw 6.55. The maximum slip was 1.03 m and the main rupture zone extended to a 12 km depth. The earthquake may have been related to the release of strain accumulated during the subduction of the Indian plate beneath the Eurasian continent. We identified a high strain rate and low b-values around the epicentral area before the earthquake, indicating that the earthquake was nucleated under a high strain/stress state. The data indicate two regions, southwest and southeast to the epicenter (the eastern Main Himalaya Thrust and northern end of the Sagaing fault), which remain under high stress/strain conditions and pose a significant seismic hazard.

The influence of topography and crustal heterogeneity on coseismic deformation of the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan Earthquake, China

The Longmen Shan Thrust Belt, which lies at the convergence of the eastern Tibetan Plateau and Sichuan Basin, is characterized by a topographic relief of 4000 m over a distance of 100 km. While the rock underlying the Sichuan Basin is strong, the crust underlying the Tibetan Plateau is weak. Four models that simulate deformation caused by distributions of dislocations along a geometrically complex fault system are developed to investigate how the contrast in elevational and crustal heterogeneity influences coseismic deformation of the 2008 Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake. The models are configured with an assembly precise ramp-décollement structures and planar fault geometries. The coseismic slip distribution is estimated by inverting three component GPS observations with Green's functions calculated for each model configuration. By comparing the slip distribution and residuals among the displacement predictions from these four models and measurements of GPS, the crustal heterogeneity model robustly explained most of the observed GPS horizontal and vertical coseismic displacements. Results revealed four composite dislocation asperities distributed in the shallow crust and a slip of 4–8 m on the sub-surface décollement fault with a depth of ~20 km. The resulting geodetic moment is 8.10 × 1020 Nm, which is in agreement with the seismological estimates. The deep slip predictions obtained with the ramp-décollement fault geometry indicate that the eastern Tibetan Plateau was thrust over the Sichuan Basin rather than the plateau being uplifted owing to the underlying weak crust.

Influence of fault roughness on surface displacement: from numerical simulations to coseismic slip distributions

SUMMARYField studies have characterized natural faults as rough, non-planar surfaces at all scales. Fault roughness induces local stress perturbations during slip, which dramatically affect rupture behaviour, resulting in slip heterogeneity. However, the relation between fault roughness and slip heterogeneity remains a key knowledge gap between current numerical and field studies. In this study, we analyse numerical simulations of earthquake rupture to determine how roughness influences final slip. Using a rupture catalogue containing thousands of dynamic rupture simulations on band-limited self-similar fractal fault profiles with varying roughness and background shear stress levels, we quantify how fault roughness affects the spectral characteristics of the resulting slip distribution. We find that slip distributions become increasingly more self-affine, that is, containing more short wavelength fluctuations as compared to the self-similar fault profiles, as roughness increases. We also find that, at very short wavelengths (<1 km), the fractal dimension of the slip distributions dramatically changes with increasing roughness, background shear stress, and rupture speed (sub-Rayleigh versus supershear). The existence of a critical wavelength around 1 km, under which more short wavelengths are either preserved or created, suggests the role of rupture process and dynamic effects, together with fault geometry, in controlling the final slip distributions. The same spectral analysis is performed on high-resolution coseismic surface slip distributions from a catalogue of real strike-slip earthquakes. Compared to numerical simulations, all earthquakes feature slip distributions that are much more self-affine than the slip distributions from numerical simulations. A different critical wavelength, here around 5–6 km, appears, potentially informing about a critical asperity length. While we show here that the relation between fault roughness and slip is much more complex than expected, this study is a first attempt at using statistical analyses of numerical simulations on rough faults to investigate observed coseismic slip distributions.

Coseismic Slip Distribution of the 2019 Mw 7.5 New Ireland Earthquake from the Integration of Multiple Remote Sensing Techniques

The 2019 Mw 7.5 New Ireland earthquake occurred at an equatorial area where the dense vegetation prevents remote sensing techniques such as C- or X-band interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) from acquiring coherent phase measurements. Therefore, in this paper, multiple remote sensing techniques including the L-band interferometric SAR, the range and azimuth offset tracking of SAR intensities, and the offset tracking of optical images were employed to map its co-seismic deformation field and to determine the slip distribution. The surface rupture was clearly and consistently captured by all offset observations, with the ground fault trace striking at an angel of 315° and extending over 10 km. An iterative weighting strategy based on the residual root mean square of inversions using individual datasets was developed to determine the relative weight of each dataset, allowing for the joint inversion of the fault geometry, the refinement of the dip angle, and the determination of the best fitting slip distribution. The resultant model indicates a nearly left-lateral strike-slip motion on the Weitin fault that ruptured to the surface with a maximum slip of 6.10 m, occurring at a depth of ~10 km, and a geodetic moment release of 1.03 × 1020 Nm, corresponding to a magnitude of Mw 7.31. The distribution of aftershocks shows about 70% of aftershocks were located in the area with increased Coulomb failure stress and few aftershocks in the subduction zone to the south of the Weitin fault were triggered by this event.

Coseismic Rupture Process of the Large 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquakes From Joint Inversion of Geodetic and Seismological Observations

AbstractOn 4 and 6 July 2019, two large strike‐slip earthquakes with W‐phase moment magnitudes MWW 6.5 (foreshock) and MWW 7.1 (mainshock) struck the Eastern California Shear Zone, northeast of Ridgecrest. The faulting geometry and kinematic coseismic slip distribution of both events are determined by jointly inverting seismological and geodetic observations guided by aftershock and surface rupture locations. The foreshock ruptured two orthogonal faults with a prominent L‐shaped geometry with maximum slip of ~1.1 m on the NE‐SW segment. The mainshock faulting extended NW‐SE along several primary fault segments that straddle the foreshock slip. The surface rupture and slip model indicate mostly near‐horizontal strike‐slip motion with maximum slip of ~3.7 m, but there is a localized vertical dip‐slip motion. Both the foreshock and mainshock ruptures terminate in regions of complex surface offsets. High aftershock productivity and low rupture velocity may be the result of rupture of a relatively immature fault system.

The seismogenic source on the deep lateral ramp of Sumatra accretionary wedge inferred from the source model of the 2009 mw 7.6 Padang, Indonesia, earthquake

The 2009 Mw 7.6 Padang earthquake has been inferred as an intraslab event because it locates at approximately 80 km depth which is within the oceanic slab with maximum curvature. However, the major trench-parallel-striking normal faulting event usually occurs at this tectonic environment but not the trench-normal-striking reverse event like this 2009 Padang earthquake. To solve this enigma, the coseismic displacements were estimated based on the analysis of daily coordinate time series calculated by GAMIT software from 15 continuous GPS stations along the Sumatra region. The maximum horizontal displacement is approximately 58.3 mm toward SW at the MSAI station while the maximum vertical displacement reaches 16.1 mm. The optimized geometry parameters of the source fault were determined by the Markov Chain Monte Carlo using the uniform-slip dislocation model. The optimized strike and dip of fault plane are 80circ and 57circ, respectively. The coseismic slip distribution was then estimated using the distributed-slip dislocation model in terms of optimized fault geometry. The geodetic moment of 1.35 x 1027 dyne-cm in our best-fit model is equivalent to Mw 7.39. The coseismic slip mainly ranges 28-70 km in depth with the maximum slip of 2000 mm. The optimized source fault plane is also comparable to the relocated aftershock distribution. Comparing to the location of interface, our source fault is mainly located at the place above the interface. We therefore proposed that this 2009 Padang earthquake occurred in the deep part of accretionary wedge, but not with the slab. In addition, we also proposed this 2009 event as a lateral ramp event because its strike is normal to the trench, such as the 2010 Jaishian earthquake in Taiwan. Finally, we proposed that a thick-skinned deformation may be also represented in the prism of Sumatra subduction zone.

Coseismic Slip and Early Afterslip of the M6.0 24 August 2014 South Napa, California, Earthquake

AbstractWe employ strong motion seismograms and static offsets from the Global Positioning System, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, and other measurements in order to derive a coseismic slip and afterslip model of the M6.0 24 August 2014 South Napa earthquake. This earthquake ruptured an ∼13‐km‐long portion of the West Napa fault with predominantly right‐lateral strike slip. In the kinematic seismic slip inversions, we couple the coseismic slip and afterslip distributions by requiring both distributions to involve right‐lateral strike slip with positive amplitude, with the net static slip being the sum of the two. We consider several candidate fault geometries: a first involving two steeply east dipping fault planes that reach Earth's surface at the western surface trace (STW), where most surface rupture was observed, a second involving a steeply west dipping plane that also reaches Earth's surface at the STW, and a third involving a combination of two variably west dipping planes constrained to pass through the locus of postseismic seismicity located ∼1 km west of the STW. The data are best fit using the model of two east dipping fault planes, with coseismic slip up to ∼1.2 m on a dominant shallow asperity about 10 km north of the hypocenter and on deeper asperities on the southern part of the rupture. Afterslip up to 1 m is concentrated along the southern part of the rupture at depths 5 km, consistent with surface observations of afterslip. Seismic moments associated with coseismic slip and afterslip are 1.13×1018 N m (Mw 6.00) and 3.64×1017 N m, respectively.

Some Thoughts on Measuring Earthquake Deformation Using Optical Imagery

Optical imagery has been proven to be an effective tool for measuring earthquake deformation in continental regions since its first application in the 1999 Izmit earthquake. In this article, we compile and analyze all the earthquakes that have been investigated with optical image matching by 2019, based on which we comment on various issues regarding measuring earthquake deformation with optical imagery. New generations of very high-resolution (VHR) data are effective for earthquake studies, but orthorectification of the VHR images is the major source of error, which is often ignored. We found that the displacements derived from the WorldView images strongly correlate with the errors in the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM) that was used in orthorectification. Based on the observed correlation between displacements and topography, we propose a new DEM-based method using the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) World 3-D DEM to reduce the orthorectification errors. Combining the published optical data of earthquake deformation, we re-analyze the coseismic slip distribution and shallow slip deficit (SSD). The SSD model states that the coseismic slip in many strike-slip earthquakes decreases in magnitude toward the surface, but this model remains arguable because the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)-derived slip is usually not well-constrained at shallow depths due to decorrelation. Because optical matching directly measures the surface slip, we re-examine the slip distribution of 11 strike-slip earthquakes and find that the SSD model may primarily be artifacts in the InSAR measurements. It is therefore of great importance to include the optical data in earthquake studies to constrain coseismic slip inversions.