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Surface rupture and distributed deformation revealed by optical satellite imagery: The intraplate 2016 Mw 6.0 Petermann Ranges earthquake, Australia

Ryan D. Gold·Dan Clark·William D. Barnhart·Tamarah King·Mark Quigley·Richard W. Briggs
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Abstract

High-resolution optical satellite imagery is used to quantify vertical surface deformation associated with the intraplate 20 May 2016 Mw 6.0 Petermann Ranges earthquake, Northern Territory, Australia. The 21 ╓ 1 km long NW-trending rupture resulted from reverse motion on a northeast-dipping fault. Vertical surface offsets of up to 0.7 ╓ 0.1 m distributed across a 0.5-to-1 km wide deformation zone are measured using the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm to compare pre- and post-earthquake digital elevation models (DEMs) derived from Worldview imagery. The results are validated by comparison with field-based observations and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). The pattern of surface uplift is consistent with distributed shear above the propagating tip of a reverse fault, leading to both an emergent fault and folding proximal to the rupture. This study demonstrates the potential for quantifying modest (<1 m) vertical deformation on a reverse fault using optical satellite imagery.

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Geophysical Research LettersArticle
90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: -26.509904531413916° to -21.739091217718574° latitude; 125.33203125° to 129.111328125° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Ryan D. Gold, Dan Clark, William D. Barnhart, Tamarah King, Mark Quigley, Richard W. Briggs. 2019-09-07. Surface rupture and distributed deformation revealed by optical satellite imagery: The intraplate 2016 Mw 6.0 Petermann Ranges earthquake, Australia. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019gl084926

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