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Title: Fault geometry and slip distribution of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake, inferred from GPS and InSAR measurements

Abstract

We revisit the problem of coseismic rupture of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake. Precise determination of the fault structure and slip distribution provides critical information about the mechanical behaviour of the fault system and earthquake rupture. We use all the geodetic data available, craft a more realistic Earth structure and fault model compared to previous studies, and employ a nonlinear inversion scheme to optimally solve for the fault geometry and slip distribution. Compared to a homogeneous elastic half-space model and laterally uniform layered models, adopting separate layered elastic structure models on both sides of the Beichuan fault significantly improved data fitting. Our results reveal that: (1) The Beichuan fault is listric in shape, with near surface fault dip angles increasing from ~36° at the southwest end to ~83° at the northeast end of the rupture. (2) The fault rupture style changes from predominantly thrust at the southwest end to dextral at the northeast end of the fault rupture. (3) Fault slip peaks near the surface for most parts of the fault, with~8.4mthrust and ~5 m dextral slip near Hongkou and ~6 m thrust and ~8.4 m dextral slip near Beichuan, respectively. (4) The peak slips are located around faultmore » geometric complexities, suggesting that earthquake style and rupture propagation were determined by fault zone geometric barriers. Such barriers exist primarily along restraining left stepping discontinuities of the dextralcompressional fault system. (5) The seismic moment released on the fault above 20 km depth is 8.2 × 1021N m, corresponding to an Mw7.9 event. The seismic moments released on the local slip concentrations are equivalent to events of Mw7.5 at Yingxiu-Hongkou, Mw7.3 at Beichuan-Pingtong, Mw7.2 near Qingping, Mw7.1 near Qingchuan, and Mw6.7 near Nanba, respectively. (6) The fault geometry and kinematics are consistent with a model in which crustal deformation at the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau is decoupled by differential motion across a decollement in the mid crust, above which deformation is dominated by brittle reverse faulting and below which deformation occurs by viscous horizontal shortening and vertical thickening.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4]
  1. Inst. of Disaster Prevention, Yanjiao (China)
  2. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Peking Univ., Beijing (China)
  3. Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
  4. China Earthquake Administration, Beijing (China)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1479291
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Geophysical Journal International
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 208; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0956-540X
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES

Citation Formats

Wan, Yongge, Shen, Zheng-Kang, Bürgmann, Roland, Sun, Jianbao, and Wang, Min. Fault geometry and slip distribution of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake, inferred from GPS and InSAR measurements. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1093/gji/ggw421.
Wan, Yongge, Shen, Zheng-Kang, Bürgmann, Roland, Sun, Jianbao, & Wang, Min. Fault geometry and slip distribution of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake, inferred from GPS and InSAR measurements. United States. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw421
Wan, Yongge, Shen, Zheng-Kang, Bürgmann, Roland, Sun, Jianbao, and Wang, Min. Tue . "Fault geometry and slip distribution of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake, inferred from GPS and InSAR measurements". United States. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggw421. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1479291.
@article{osti_1479291,
title = {Fault geometry and slip distribution of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake, inferred from GPS and InSAR measurements},
author = {Wan, Yongge and Shen, Zheng-Kang and Bürgmann, Roland and Sun, Jianbao and Wang, Min},
abstractNote = {We revisit the problem of coseismic rupture of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake. Precise determination of the fault structure and slip distribution provides critical information about the mechanical behaviour of the fault system and earthquake rupture. We use all the geodetic data available, craft a more realistic Earth structure and fault model compared to previous studies, and employ a nonlinear inversion scheme to optimally solve for the fault geometry and slip distribution. Compared to a homogeneous elastic half-space model and laterally uniform layered models, adopting separate layered elastic structure models on both sides of the Beichuan fault significantly improved data fitting. Our results reveal that: (1) The Beichuan fault is listric in shape, with near surface fault dip angles increasing from ~36° at the southwest end to ~83° at the northeast end of the rupture. (2) The fault rupture style changes from predominantly thrust at the southwest end to dextral at the northeast end of the fault rupture. (3) Fault slip peaks near the surface for most parts of the fault, with~8.4mthrust and ~5 m dextral slip near Hongkou and ~6 m thrust and ~8.4 m dextral slip near Beichuan, respectively. (4) The peak slips are located around fault geometric complexities, suggesting that earthquake style and rupture propagation were determined by fault zone geometric barriers. Such barriers exist primarily along restraining left stepping discontinuities of the dextralcompressional fault system. (5) The seismic moment released on the fault above 20 km depth is 8.2 × 1021N m, corresponding to an Mw7.9 event. The seismic moments released on the local slip concentrations are equivalent to events of Mw7.5 at Yingxiu-Hongkou, Mw7.3 at Beichuan-Pingtong, Mw7.2 near Qingping, Mw7.1 near Qingchuan, and Mw6.7 near Nanba, respectively. (6) The fault geometry and kinematics are consistent with a model in which crustal deformation at the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau is decoupled by differential motion across a decollement in the mid crust, above which deformation is dominated by brittle reverse faulting and below which deformation occurs by viscous horizontal shortening and vertical thickening.},
doi = {10.1093/gji/ggw421},
journal = {Geophysical Journal International},
number = 2,
volume = 208,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Nov 08 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Tue Nov 08 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Coseismic Radiation of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan Earthquake and Its Relationship to Fault Complexities
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Dynamic Rupture Simulations of the 2008 Mw 7.9 Wenchuan Earthquake by the Curved Grid Finite‐Difference Method
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Coseismic slip distribution inversion with unequal weighted Laplacian smoothness constraints
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