illuminating active fault zones through correlation of optical satellite imagery

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• James Hollingsworth - University of Grenoble
• Wednesday 23 October 2019, 16:00-17:00
• Marine/Wolfson Building lecture hall, Bullard Labs..

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Jenny Jenkins.

Precise documentation of the spatial pattern and magnitude of surface slip produced co-seismically in earthquakes, and in the post- and inter-seismic phases of the seismic cycle, is essential for understanding the mechanics of how faults slip. Modern techniques in satellite geodesy, such as GPS and InSAR, provide powerful tools for retrieving surface displacements at high precision produced by earthquakes. However, GPS measurements are typically very sparse, while InSAR often fails close to faults, where strain gradients are large. Optical image correlation is a relatively new technique for retrieving earthquake deformations close to faults. Sub-pixel phase correlation of satellite (or aerial) images acquired before and after an earthquake can resolve displacements as low as 1/20th of the input imagery pixel resolution. Because optical image correlation retrieves the displacement averaged over small areas (compared with spot measurements collected in the field), they include any off-fault deformation (OFD) occurring on secondary or distributed structures, as well as deformation localized on the main fault. Comparison with co-seismic field measurements for large strike-slip earthquakes provides a unique opportunity determine the magnitude of OFD occurring in earthquakes globally. I discuss several case studies from earthquakes (including Landers, Hector Mine, Balouchistan, Kaikoura, and Palu) where optical image correlation has been used to characterize near-field co-seismic displacements. OFD appears to correlate with total geological offset on strike-slip faults, suggesting an increase in localisation and decrease in OFD as faults mature. Better characterization of the magnitude and width over which OFD occurs is essential for the correct assessment of fault slip rates using Quaternary dating techniques, and earthquake slip histories determined from paleoseismology, which are both key ingredients in seismic hazard assessment. I finish with several examples of future research directions in which optical image correlation can be further developed to provide more detailed and precise 3D measurements of ground deformation over time; with huge potential for studying active fault zones, as well as a wide range of other surface phenomena occurring on Earth and throughout the solar system. —-

Reading… Fialko,Y.,Sandwell,D.,Simons,M.,Rosen,P.,2005.Three-dimensional deformation caused by the Bam, Iran, earthquake and the origin of shallow slip deficit. Nature 435, 295–299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature03425 Dolan, J. F., and Haravitch, B. D., 2014, How well do surface slip measurements track slip at depth in large strike-slip earthquakes? The importance of structural maturity in controlling on-fault versus off-fault deformation: Earth and Planetary Science Letters, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.11.043. Milliner, C., Dolan, J., Hollingsworth, J., Leprince, S., Ayoub, A., and Sammis, C., 2015, Quantifying near-field and off-fault deformation patterns of the 1992 Mw 7.3 Landers earthquake. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems, 16, doi:10.1002/2014GC005693. Socquet, A., Hollingsworth, J., Pathier, E., and Bouchon, M., 2018, 2018 Mw7.5 Palu earthquake (Sulawesi, Indonesia): evidence for supershear from space geodesy, Nature Geoscience, Nature Geoscience, doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0296-0.

This talk is part of the Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars series.

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• Bullard Laboratories Wednesday Seminars
• Department of Earth Sciences seminars
• Marine/Wolfson Building lecture hall, Bullard Labs.

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