A new method for coseismic offset detection from GPS coordinate time series

Currently,the extraction of coseismic offset signals primarily relies on earthquake catalog data to determine the occurrence time of earthquakes.This is followed by the process of differencing the average GPS coordinate time series data,with a time interval of 3 to 5 days before and after the earthquake.In the face of the huge amount of GPS coordinate time series data today,the conventional approach of relying on earthquake catalog data to assist in obtaining coseismic offset signals has become increasingly burdensome.To address this problem,we propose a new method for automatically detecting coseismic offset signals in GPS coordinate time series without an extra earthquake catalog for reference.Firstly,we pre-process the GPS coordinate time series data for filtering out stations with significant observations missing and detecting and removing outliers.Secondly,we eliminate other signals and errors in the GPS coordinate time series,such as trend and seasonal signals,leaving the coseismic offset signals as the primary signal.The resulting coordinate time series is then modeled using the first-order difference and data stacking method.The modeling method enables automatic detection of the coseismic offset signals in the GPS coordinate time series.The aforementioned method is applied to automatically detect coseismic offset signals using simulated data and the Searles Valley GPS data in California,USA.The results demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed method,successfully detecting coseismic offsets from vast amounts of GPS coordinate time series data.

Parameters of Coseismic Reverse- and Oblique-Slip Surface Ruptures of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake,Eastern Tibetan Plateau

On May 12th, 2008, the Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake ruptured the Beichuan, Pengguan and Xiaoyudong faults simultaneously along the middle segment of the Longmenshan thrust belt at the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. Field investigations constrain the surface rupture pattern, length and offsets related to the Wenchuan earthquake. The Beichuan fault has a NE-trending rightlateral reverse rupture with a total length of 240 km. Reassessment yields a maximum vertical offset of 6.5±0.5 m and a maximum right-lateral offset of 4.9±0.5 m for its northern segment, which are the largest offsets found; the maximum vertical offset is 6.2±0.5 m for its southern segment. The Pengguan fault has a NE-trending pure reverse rupture about 72 km long with a maximum vertical offset of about 3.5 m. The Xiaoyudong fault has a NW-striking left-lateral reverse rupture about 7 km long between the Beichuan and Pengguan faults, with a maximum vertical offset of 3.4 m and left-lateral offset of 3.5 m. This pattern of multiple co-seismic surface ruptures is among the most complicated of recent great earthquakes and presents a much larger danger than if they ruptured individually. The rupture length is the longest for reverse faulting events ever reported.

Detailed mapping of the surface rupture of the 12 February 2014 Yutian M_s7.3 earthquake,Altyn Tagh fault,Xinjiang,China

Large-scale detailed mapping plays a key role in revealing the rupture characteristics and mechanisms of strong earthquakes.Relatively few studies have been performed on the surface ruptures of large earthquakes in central and western Tibet due to its remote nature and high elevation.Based on high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)photography,we mapped the coseismic surface rupture of the 2014 Yutian M_s7.3 earthquake.Along the western Altyn Tagh fault system,the earthquake produced~37 km of surface rupture along the South Xor Kol fault(southern section S1),Xor Kol fault(central section S2)and Ashikule fault(northern section S3).Section S1 has a 16-km-long surface rupture with an average sinistral offset of 52±25 cm and a maximum offset of~90 cm,while section S3 has a 14.2-km-long surface rupture with an average sinistral offset of 36±21 cm and a maximum offset of~84 cm.A compilation of 5308 cracks yields an average crack width along the southern section of 85±71 cm and a maximum width of~700 cm;the average width along the central section is 39±21 cm,and the maximum width is 243 cm;and the average width along the northern section is 61±44 cm with a maximum of~340 cm.In addition,the average cumulative opening across rupture zone is 3.4±2.9 m along the southern section,with a maximum of~17 m;4.3±3.6 m along the central section,with a maximum of~13 m;and 1.7±1.6 m along the northern section,with a maximum of~6 m.Evidently,the average crack width and cumulative opening decrease towards bends and steps along the fault.A global synthesis of surface rupture distributions corresponding to strike-slip earthquakes indicates that the rupture zone is wider near the complex parts of fault geometries(such as bends,steps and fault bifurcations)than along straight sections,suggesting that the fault geometry has an obvious control on the surface rupture width.The widespread cracks at the intersection between the Xor Kol and South Xor Kol faults may indicate that an extensional regime is more likely to produce distributed offfault deformation,which provides an observational constraint for the numerical simulation of dynamic rupture on a fault.In addition to coseismic surface rupture,the Yutian earthquake also produced a large number of gravity-driven slides on alluvial fans with gentle slopes.The friction efficiency of the water-bearing salt layer beneath fans could decrease the sliding threshold and trigger instability under surface shaking.These distributed deformations and gravity-driven slides reflect the coupling between the rupture propagation and fault geometry and indicate that the rupture may have propagated in two directions along the Ashikule fault after passing through a step.Therefore,the investigation of coseismic surface rupture provides important observational constraints on the dynamic rupture process.

Paleoseismologic record of earthquakes along the Wuzunxiaoer section of the Altyn Tagh fault and its implication for cascade rupture behavior

The Altyn Tagh fault is one of the few great active strike-slip faults in the world. The recurrence characteristics of paleoearthquakes on this fault are still poorly understood due to the lack of paleoseismic records recorded in high-resolution strata. We document a paleoseismic record in a pull-apart basin along the Wuzunxiaoer section of the central Altyn Tagh fault.The high-resolution strata recorded abundant seismic deformations and their sedimentary responses. Four earthquakes are identified based on event evidence in the form of open fissures, thickened strata, angular unconformities, and folds. The occurrence times of the four events were constrained using radiocarbon dating. Event W1 occurred at AD1220–1773, events W2 and W3 occurred between 407 and 215 BC, and event W4 occurred slightly earlier at 1608–1462 BC, indicating clustered recurrence characteristics. A comparison of the earthquake records along the Wuzunxiaoer section with other records along the Xorkoli section suggests that both sections ruptured during the most recent event.