USGS Science⌕ Search

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “earthquake hazards”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,765 records · Page 98Linked to original sources

A homogeneous stochastic model for earthquake occurrences

The objective of this study is to develop a probabilistic model for earthquake occurrences with temporal and spatial memory. Stochastic processes are used to characterize both the spatial and temporal dependencies of seismic occurrences along a fault. Currently, only homogeneous space and time transitions are considered. The resulting process however is evolutionary and depends on the specific sequence of events over a period of time. The model provides estimates on the cumulative activity of a fault over a future time period. In addition, probabilities of occurrences of individual events along a geologic fault at some specified future time are obtained when a descritized time scale is used. The information from these evaluations is particularly useful in engineering seismic hazard computations and for social and engineering seismic risk assessments.

Open-File Report↗

Potential seismic hazards and tectonics of the upper Cook Inlet basin, Alaska, based on analysis of Pliocene and younger deformation

The Cook Inlet basin is a northeast-trending forearc basin above the Aleutian subduction zone in southern Alaska. Folds in Cook Inlet are complex, discontinuous structures with variable shape and vergence that probably developed by right-transpressional deformation on oblique-slip faults extending downward into Mesozoic basement beneath the Tertiary basin. The most recent episode of deformation may have began as early as late Miocene time, but most of the deformation occurred after deposition of much of the Pliocene Sterling Formation. Deformation continued into Quaternary time, and many structures are probably still active. One structure, the Castle Mountain fault, has Holocene fault scarps, an adjacent anticline with flower structure, and historical seismicity. If other structures in Cook Inlet are active, blind faults coring fault-propagation folds may generate M w 6–7+ earthquakes. Dextral transpression of Cook Inlet appears to have been driven by coupling between the North American and Pacific plates along the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone, and by lateral escape of the forearc to the southwest, due to collision and indentation of the Yakutat terrane 300 km to the east of the basin.

Alaska↗

Static stress change from the 8 October, 2005 M = 7.6 Kashmir earthquake

We calculated static stress changes from the devastating M = 7.6 earthquake that shook Kashmir on 8 October, 2005. We mapped Coulomb stress change on target fault planes oriented by assuming a regional compressional stress regime with greatest principal stress directed orthogonally to the mainshock strike. We tested calculation sensitivity by varying assumed stress orientations, target-fault friction, and depth. Our results showed no impact on the active Salt Range thrust southwest of the rupture. Active faults north of the Main Boundary thrust near Peshawar fall in a calculated stress-decreased zone, as does the Raikot fault zone to the northeast. We calculated increased stress near the rupture where most aftershocks occurred. The greatest increase to seismic hazard is in the Indus-Kohistan seismic zone near the Indus River northwest of the rupture termination, and southeast of the rupture termination near the Kashmir basin.

Geophysical Research Letters↗

Seismic hazard in the Nation's breadbasket

The USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps were updated in 2014 and included several important changes for the central United States (CUS). Background seismicity sources were improved using a new moment-magnitude-based catalog; a new adaptive, nearest-neighbor smoothing kernel was implemented; and maximum magnitudes for background sources were updated. Areal source zones developed by the Central and Eastern United States Seismic Source Characterization for Nuclear Facilities project were simplified and adopted. The weighting scheme for ground motion models was updated, giving more weight to models with a faster attenuation with distance compared to the previous maps. Overall, hazard changes (2% probability of exceedance in 50 years, across a range of ground-motion frequencies) were smaller than 10% in most of the CUS relative to the 2008 USGS maps despite new ground motion models and their assigned logic tree weights that reduced the probabilistic ground motions by 5–20%.

Earthquake Spectra↗

Strong-motion observations of the M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake sequence and development of the N-shake strong-motion network

We present and describe strong-motion data observations from the 2015 M 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake sequence collected using existing and new Quake-Catcher Network (QCN) and U.S. Geological Survey NetQuakes sensors located in the Kathmandu Valley. A comparison of QCN data with waveforms recorded by a conventional strong-motion (NetQuakes) instrument validates the QCN data. We present preliminary analysis of spectral accelerations, and peak ground acceleration and velocity for earthquakes up to M 7.3 from the QCN stations, as well as preliminary analysis of the mainshock recording from the NetQuakes station. We show that mainshock peak accelerations were lower than expected and conclude the Kathmandu Valley experienced a pervasively nonlinear response during the mainshock. Phase picks from the QCN and NetQuakes data are also used to improve aftershock locations. This study confirms the utility of QCN instruments to contribute to ground-motion investigations and aftershock response in regions where conventional instrumentation and open-access seismic data are limited. Initial pilot installations of QCN instruments in 2014 are now being expanded to create the Nepal–Shaking Hazard Assessment for Kathmandu and its Environment (N-SHAKE) network.

Seismological Research Letters↗

The 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake: Intensities and ground motions

The 1 September 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake was one of the largest preinstrumental earthquakes in eastern North America for which extensive contemporaneous observations were documented. The distribution of shaking was mapped shortly after the earthquake, and reconsidered by several authors in the late twentieth century, but has not been reconsidered with a modern appreciation for issues associated with macroseismic data interpretation. Detailed contemporary accounts have also never been used to map the distribution of numerical shaking intensities in the near field. In this study we reconsider macroseismic data from far‐field accounts as well as detailed accounts of damage in the near field, estimating modified Mercalli intensity values at 1297 locations including over 200 definite “not felt” reports that delineate the overall felt extent. We compare the results to the suite of ground‐motion models for eastern North America selected by the National Seismic Hazard Model, using a recently proposed mainshock rupture model and an average site condition for the locations at which intensities are estimated. The comparison supports the moment magnitude estimate, 7.3, from a recently proposed rupture model ( Bilham and Hough, 2023 ). A ShakeMap constrained by model predictions and estimated intensities further illustrates this consistency, which we show is insensitive to rupture model details. Given the uncertainty of calibration relations for magnitudes close to 7, the overall intensity distribution provides a good characterization of shaking but cannot improve the independent moment magnitude estimate. We also identify a previously unrecognized early large aftershock that occurred 9–10 min after the mainshock, for which we estimate magnitude ∼5.6.

South Carolina↗

Lower seismogenic depth model of western U.S. Earthquakes

We present a model of the lower seismogenic depth of earthquakes in the western United States (WUS) estimated using the hypocentral depths of events M > 1, a crustal temperature model, and historical earthquake rupture depth models. Locations of earthquakes are from the Advanced National Seismic System Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog from 1980 to 2021 supplemented with seismicity in southern California for event hypocenters that were relocated by Hauksson et al. (2012) to obtain higher precision and better resolution in the model. We calculated the average depth of the deepest 10% of the merged catalog using an adaptive radius of 50 km or more. Along the San Andreas fault, the deepest seismogenic depths are located at 23 km around the Cholame segment, whereas the shallowest depths are located at about 10 km along the Rodgers Creek and Maacama faults. For the WUS outside California, the depth generally varies between 10 and 25 km with an average around 14 km but could extend to 35 km along Cascadia subduction zone. We find good agreement between the small‐magnitude depths and rupture depths derived from coseismic slip of large earthquakes across the region. Our estimates are generally deeper than the previous seismogenic depths determined for the Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast, Version 3 model based on work by Petersen et al. (1996) who used seismicity cross sections along major fault zones in California. Our new seismogenic depth distribution correlates closely with crustal temperature derived from WUS heat flow ( Blackwell et al. , 2011 ). This correlation allowed us to develop a map of the brittle–ductile transition that we use to replace seismogenic depths in the model east of the Intermountain West Seismic Belt where the seismicity rate is low. This updated depth model is useful for recalibrating the lower geologic fault rupture depths, and constraining deformation and seismicity source models in updates of the U.S. Geological Survey National Seismic Hazard Model.

western United States↗

Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1997

The eight papers that follow continue the series of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports on investigations in the geologic sciences in Alaska. The series presents new and sometimes preliminary findings that are of interest to earth scientists in academia, government, and industry; to land and resource managers; and to the general public. Reports presented in Geologic Studies in Alaska cover a broad spectrum of topics from all parts of the State (fig. 1), which serves to emphasize the diversity of USGS efforts to meet the Nation's needs for earth-science information in Alaska. The papers in this volume are organized under the topics Resources, Geologic Framework, and Environment and Climate. Such an organization is intended to reflect the scope and objectives of USGS programs currently active in Alaska. Resource papers include one that presents detailed observations from a Mississippian Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag occurrence in the Brooks Range (Werdon). Mineralogic, chemical, and isotopic data provide the basis for a proposed relationship between this vein-breccia deposit and the shale-hosted massive sulfide deposit type, which includes the active Red Dog mine in the western Brooks Range. Also included under the topic of Resources is a paper that presents geochemical and isotopic data from the Greens Creek and Woewodski Island volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in southeastern Alaska (Newberry and Brew). The depositional environment and sedimentological setting of Tertiary coal beds in the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys is the focus of a third paper under the topic of Resources (Flores and others). Geologic Framework studies provide background information that is the scientific basis for present and future studies of the environment, mineral and energy resources, paleoclimate, and hazards in Alaska. One paper presents the results of sedimentologic and paleontologic comparisons of lower Paleozoic, deep-water-facies rock units in central Alaska (Dumoulin and others). The authors show which of these units are likely to correlate with one another, suggest likely source regions, and provide a structural restoration of units that have been fragmented by large fault motions. A second framework paper provides a map, rock descriptions, and chemical compositions of volcanic rocks in a newly recognized, geologically young volcanic center in the Aleutian volcanic arc (Hildreth and others). A third paper presents an interesting summary of gravity changes that occurred in south-central Alaska during the great earthquake of 1964 and for the following 25 years (Barnes). Gravity changes correlate with land-elevation changes in some cases, but not in others, which means that different processes are responsible for the gravity changes.

Alaska↗

A fault‐based crustal deformation model with deep driven dislocation sources for the 2023 update to the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model

A fault‐based crustal deformation model with deep driven dislocation sources is applied to estimate long‐term on‐fault slip rates and off‐fault moment rate distribution in the western United States (WUS) for the 2023 update to the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM). This model uses the method of Zeng and Shen (2017) to invert for slip rate and strain‐rate parameters based on inputs from Global Positioning System (GPS) velocities and geologic slip‐rate constraints. The model connects adjacent major fault segments in California and the Cascadia subduction zone to form blocks that extend to the boundaries of the study area. Faults within the blocks are obtained from the NSHM geologic fault section database. The model slip rates are determined using a least‐squares inversion with a normalized chi‐square of 6.6. I also apply a time‐dependent correction called “ghost transient” effect to account for the viscoelastic responses from large historic earthquakes along the San Andreas fault and Cascadia subduction zone. Major discrepancies between model slip rates and geologic slip rates along the San Andreas fault, for example, from the Cholame to the Mojave and San Bernardino segments of the San Andreas, are well reduced after the ghost transient correction is applied to GPS velocities. The off‐fault moment rate distribution is consistent with regional tectonics and seismicity patterns with a total rate of 1.6 × 10 19    N · m / yr "> 1.6 × 10 19 N ⋅ m / yr for the WUS.

western United States↗

Interpreting the earthquake source of the Wabash Valley seismic zone (Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky) from seismic-reflection, gravity, and magnetic-intensity data

Reprocessing of seismic-reflection data reveals new images of upper- to middle-crustal structures beneath the Wabash Valley seismic zone, located north of the New Madrid seismic zone within the seismically active southern Illinois basin. Four intersecting deep seismic profiles (243 km total) indicate an anomalous, 5–10-km-wide zone of dipping reflections and diffractions below the western flank of the Wabash Valley fault system (WVFS). The zone corresponds in places to gently arched regions of Paleozoic strata. The reflector zone can be interpreted as a result of either (or a combination of) magmatic intrusion or structural deformation. The area encompassing the reflection profiles has experienced several moderate magnitude (3.0 ≤ m bLg ≤ 5.5) earthquakes during the past 50 years, defining the central part of the Wabash Valley seismic zone. The hypocenter of the largest 20th-century earthquake in the central USA midcontinent (9 November 1968, m bLg 5.5) corresponds to the most prominent zone of dipping middle-crustal reflections, just west of the WVFS. Both the focal mechanism (moderately dipping reverse fault) and the expected rupture zone size (∼2.9 km fault length) of this earthquake are consistent with the orientation and size of observed reflectors. Dipping reflector patterns in the Precambrian crust are not collinear with fault surfaces updip in the Paleozoic sedimentary section. This indicates that shallow Paleozoic structures are effectively “decoupled” from deeper, possibly seismogenic structure, which suggests that understanding Paleozoic structure is not the key to understanding the earthquake source. The complex dipping crustal reflectivity beneath the WVFS is typical of Paleozoic continental convergent zones observed elsewhere ( e.g. , Appalachian orogen) and thus may suggest a preserved Proterozoic suture, possibly associated with the distal Grenville orogeny or an older event. Although magnetic intensity, Bouguer gravity, and seismic-reflection data present different means of understanding the deep geology of the area, their integration aids in limiting the number of admissible interpretations. The reflection profiles indicate a variable zone of anomalous crustal structure, including the dipping reflector zone, along a trend of northeast-trending gravity and magnetic highs locally defining the Commerce geophysical lineament (CGL), which is a suspected source of seismic hazard in the central USA midcontinent. Three-dimensional inverse modeling of the residual isostatic gravity anomaly values indicates that the upper part of the dipping reflector zone beneath the CGL lies near an important density boundary in the upper Precambrian crust. The results of our study suggest that the seismogenic source just north of the New Madrid seismic zone consists, in part, of a pre-existing fabric of blind thrusts localized along pre-existing igneous intrusions, locally coincident with the CGL. This suggests that the CGL may be seismogenic in places and thus a potential seismic hazard. The variation in the expression of the CGL using reflection and potential-field data sets is probably partly related to the differing geologic features by which it is expressed, but would be also consistent with its reactivation numerous times under varying stress regimes.

Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky↗

WOVOdat design document: The schema, table descriptions, and create table statements for the database of worldwide volcanic unrest (WOVOdat Version 1.0)

WOVOdat Overview During periods of volcanic unrest, the ability to forecast near future activity has been a primary concern for human populations living near volcanoes. Our ability to forecast future activity and mitigate hazards is based on knowledge of previous activity at the volcano exhibiting unrest and knowledge of previous activity at similar volcanoes. A small set of experts with past experience are often involved in forecasting. We need to both preserve the knowledge the experts use and continue to investigate volcanic data to make better forecasts. Advances in instrumentation, networking, and data storage technologies have greatly increased our ability to collect volcanic data and share observations with our colleagues. The wealth of data creates numerous opportunities for gaining a better understanding of magmatic conditions and processes, if the data can be easily accessed for comparison. To allow for comparison of volcanic unrest data, we are creating a central database called WOVOdat. WOVOdat will contain a subset of time-series and geo-referenced data from each WOVO observatory in common and easily accessible formats. WOVOdat is being created for volcano experts in charge of forecasting volcanic activity, scientists investigating volcanic processes, and the public. The types of queries each of these groups might ask range from, 'What volcanoes were active in November of 2002?' and 'What are the relationships between tectonic earthquakes and volcanic processes?' to complex analyses of volcanic unrest to determine what future activity might occur. A new structure for storing and accessing our data was needed to examine processes across a wide range of volcanologic conditions. WOVOdat provides this new structure using relationships to connect the data parameters such that searches can be created for analogs of unrest. The subset of data that will fill WOVOdat will continue to be collected by the observatories, who will remain the primary archives of raw and detailed data on individual episodes of unrest. MySQL, an Open Source database, was chosen as the WOVOdat database for its integration with common web languages. The question of where the data will be stored and how the disparate data sets will be integrated will not be discussed in detail here. The focus of this document is to explain the data types, formats, and table organization chosen for WOVOdat 1.0. It was written for database administrators, data loaders, query writers, and anyone who monitors volcanoes. We begin with an overview of several challenges faced and solutions used in creating the WOVOdat schema. Specifics are then given for the parameters and table organization. After each table organization section, basic create table statements are included for viewing the database field formats. In the next stage of the project, scripts will be needed for data conversion, entry, and cleansing. Views will also need to be created once the data have been loaded and the basic queries are better known. Many questions and opportunities remain. We look forward to the growth and continual improvement in efficiency of the system. We hope WOVOdat will improve our understanding of magmatic systems and help mitigate future volcanic hazards.

Open-File Report↗

Post-traumatic stress disorder in adult population of La Palma (Spain) after the 2021 Tajogaite eruption: Environmental and sociodemographic predictors

The adverse mental health effects of exposure to disasters have long been recognized, with earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and volcanoes (among others) contributing to anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Concerning PTSD and volcanic eruptions specifically, most studies have highlighted risk factors related to demographic and social factors (e.g., gender, age, and education), mental health, and those associated with the experience of the volcanic eruption (e.g., having evacuated). Establishing the demographic scope of those more likely to suffer PTSD following volcanic eruptions as well as understanding the aggravating factors is key to best tailor precautionary measurements and psychological interventions. In this study, we supplement these analyses by investigating the role of environmental contaminants (specifically, exposure to tephra falls and degraded air quality) together with demographic, health, and hazard experiences in contributing to PTSD. We focus on data collected after the 2021 eruption of the Tajogaite volcano (Cumbre Vieja, La Palma, Spain). Our results show that in addition to sex, education, distance from the volcano, evacuation status, health issues related to the eruption, and mental health antecedents, exposure to volcanic gas but not tephra is associated with higher PTSD scores. Our findings establish a picture of the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in various demographics groups and aggravating factors following the 2021 eruption of the Tajogaite volcano. We further call for an extended investigation (and potentially, ultimately, a mechanistic explanation) of the role of air quality (as a potential synergic hazard) in shaping mental health following exposure to a primary hazard, such as a volcanic eruption.

Canary Islands, Island of La Palma↗

Active Fault Near-Source Zones Within and Bordering the State of California for the 1997 Uniform Building Code

The fault sources in the Project 97 probabilistic seismic hazard maps for the state of California were used to construct maps for defining near-source seismic coefficients, N a and N v , incorporated in the 1997 Uniform Building Code (ICBO 1997). The near-source factors are based on the distance from a known active fault that is classified as either Type A or Type B. To determine the near-source factor, four pieces of geologic information are required: (1) recognizing a fault and determining whether or not the fault has been active during the Holocene, (2) identifying the location of the fault at or beneath the ground surface, (3) estimating the slip rate of the fault, and (4) estimating the maximum earthquake magnitude for each fault segment. This paper describes the information used to produce the fault classifications and distances.

California↗

Modifications to existing ground-motion prediction equations in light of new data

We compare our recent ground-motion prediction equations (GMPEs) for western North America (WNA; Boore and Atkinson, 2008 [BA08]) and eastern North America (ENA; Atkinson and Boore, 2006 [AB06]; Atkinson, 2008 [A08]) to newly available ground-motion data. Based on these comparisons, we suggest revisions to our GMPEs for both WNA and ENA. The revisions for WNA affect only those events with M ≤ 5:75, while those for ENA affect all magnitudes. These are simple modi[1]fications to the existing GMPEs that bring them into significantly better agreement with data. The wealth of new data clearly demonstrates that these modifications are warranted; we therefore recommend the use of the updated equations for seismic hazard analyses and other applications. More detailed studies are under way by many investigators (including ourselves) to develop a new generation of ground-motion models in both WNA and ENA from scratch, through a comprehensive reevaluation of source, path, site, and modeling issues. In time, those more complete models will replace those proposed in this study. However, as the new models will be several years in development, we recommend using the modified models proposed herein, labeled BA08′ (for WNA), AB06′ (for ENA), and A08′ (for ENA, to replace A08), as interim updates to our existing models. The proposed models are in demonstrable agreement with a rich database of ground motions for moderate-magnitude earthquakes in both WNA and ENA and are constrained at larger magnitudes by the BA08 magnitude and distance scaling.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Temporal patterns of induced seismicity in Oklahoma revealed from multi-station template matching

Over the past decade, Oklahoma became the most seismically active region of the mid-Continental USA as a result of industry operations. However, seismic network limitations and completeness of earthquake catalogs have restricted the types of analyses that can be performed. By applying multi-station template matching on the 23,889 cataloged earthquakes in Oklahoma and Southern Kansas between late-2008 and 2016, we increased the number of detected earthquakes to 209,409 events. While the improved catalog produced an order of magnitude events than the original catalog, the frequency-magnitude distribution remains similar to the original catalog. We found that the coefficient of variation of interevent times in small spatial bins tends to spatially correlate with the location of M ≥ 4 earthquakes. The improved catalog reveals the pervasiveness of swarm-like patterns in seismicity across the entire study region. The rapid increase in seismicity rate of these swarms in 2013 coincided with a reduction in the calculated p values (power law decay rates) before and after larger events. We also used the catalog to revisit the temporal patterns in the four M ≥ 5 sequences, finding more active foreshock behavior than previously recognized and variations in aftershock behavior. When compared against poroelastic stress models for the Pawnee and Fairview sequences, the catalog shows an improved correlation with stress that accounts for variable-rate injection, supporting the conclusion that injection rate is an important contributor to seismic hazard.

Oklahoma↗

Dating previously balanced rocks in seismically active parts of California and Nevada

Precariously balanced boulders that could be knocked down by strong earthquake ground motion are found in some seismically active areas of southern California and Nevada. In this study we used two independent surface-exposure dating techniques—rock-varnish microlamination and cosmogenic 36 Cl dating methodologies—to estimate minimum- and maximum-limiting ages, respectively, of the precarious boulders and by inference the elapsed time since the sites were shaken down. The results of the exposure dating indicate that all of the precarious rocks are >10.5 ka and that some may be significantly older. At Victorville and Jacumba, California, these results show that the precarious rocks have not been knocked down for at least 10.5 k.y., a conclusion in apparent conflict with some commonly used probabilistic seismic hazard maps. At Yucca Mountain, Nevada, the ages of the precarious rocks are >10.5 to >27.0 ka, providing an independent measure of the minimum time elapsed since faulting occurred on the Solitario Canyon fault.

Geology↗

Liquefaction at Oceano, California, during the 2003 San Simeon earthquake

The 2003 M 6.5 San Simeon, California, earthquake caused liquefaction-induced lateral spreading at Oceano at an unexpectedly large distance from the seismogenic rupture. We conclude that the liquefaction was caused by ground motion that was enhanced by both rupture directivity in the mainshock and local site amplification by unconsolidated fine-grained deposits. Liquefaction occurred in sandy artificial fill and undisturbed eolian sand and fluvial deposits. The largest and most damaging lateral spread was caused by liquefaction of artificial fill; the head of this lateral spread coincided with the boundary between the artificial fill and undisturbed eolian sand deposits. Values of the liquefaction potential index, in general, were greater than 5 at liquefaction sites, the threshold value that has been proposed for liquefaction hazard mapping. Although the mainshock ground motion at Oceano was not recorded, peak ground acceleration was estimated to range from 0.25 and 0.28g on the basis of the liquefaction potential index and aftershock recordings. The estimates fall within the range of peak ground acceleration values associated with the modified Mercalli intensity = VII reported at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) "Did You Feel It?" web site.

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America↗

Buried shallow fault slip from the South Napa earthquake revealed by near-field geodesy

Earthquake-related fault slip in the upper hundreds of meters of Earth’s surface has remained largely unstudied because of challenges measuring deformation in the near field of a fault rupture. We analyze centimeter-scale accuracy mobile laser scanning (MLS) data of deformed vine rows within ±300 m of the principal surface expression of the M (magnitude) 6.0 2014 South Napa earthquake. Rather than assuming surface displacement equivalence to fault slip, we invert the near-field data with a model that allows for, but does not require, the fault to be buried below the surface. The inversion maps the position on a preexisting fault plane of a slip front that terminates ~3 to 25 m below the surface coseismically and within a few hours postseismically. The lack of surface-breaching fault slip is verified by two trenches. We estimate near-surface slip ranging from ~0.5 to 1.25 m. Surface displacement can underestimate fault slip by as much as 30%. This implies that similar biases could be present in short-term geologic slip rates used in seismic hazard analyses. Along strike and downdip, we find deficits in slip: The along-strike deficit is erased after ~1 month by afterslip. We find no evidence of off-fault deformation and conclude that the downdip shallow slip deficit for this event is likely an artifact. As near-field geodetic data rapidly proliferate and will become commonplace, we suggest that analyses of near-surface fault rupture should also use more sophisticated mechanical models and subsurface geomechanical tests.

California↗