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The 2021 Mw7.3 Maduo (Qinghai, China) earthquake ruptured ∼160 km along a poorly known secondary fault inside the Bayanhar block on the northern Tibetan plateau, which is generally parallel to the Kunlun fault. Here we integrate the interseismic (2015–2020) and coseismic geodetic observations to quantify the interseismic strain rate, fault geometry and coseismic slip distribution. Our results reveal that the seismogenic fault is featured by the low (<20 nanostrain/yr) and nearly undetectable interseismic strain rate. Three‐dimensional displacement fields and coseismic strain maps demonstrate the spatial variations of rupture kinematics due to the change of fault geometry. Our study reveals the steeply north‐dipping fault geometry of the seismogenic fault. The majority of coseismic slip occurred between 0 and 15 km with slight shallow slip deficit, which not penetrates through the inferred elastic upper crust (∼20–25 km). Our study highlights the tectonic and geometric control on fault kinematics of the Maduo earthquake. Plain Language Summary: The Bayanhar block on the north‐central Tibetan plateau experienced several major earthquakes with Mw > 6.5 on the boundary faults since the 1997 Mw7.6 Manyi earthquake, which is consistent with fast long‐term slip rates and large locking depth. However, the potential of generating large earthquakes on the faults inside the Bayanhar block is typically considered to be insignificant due to the estimated low fault slip rate (<5 mm/yr) and limited fault length. The 2021 Mw7.3 Maduo earthquake occurred on a poorly known subsidiary fault inside the Bayanhar block. Here, we use InSAR measurements prior to (2015–2020) and during the earthquake to investigate interseismic strain accumulation, to map coseismic deformation and to constrain the fault geometry as well as coseismic slip distribution of the Maduo earthquake. The three‐dimensional displacement fields and the relocated aftershocks support a slightly off vertical, dipping to the north, fault geometry. Our inversion results show that the coseismic slip is mainly distributed at a depth of 0–15 km. The kinematic analysis of the Maduo earthquake demonstrates that long‐term quantification of earthquake hazard of the subsidiary strike‐slip fault inside the Bayanhar block is challenging, because the interseismic strain rate is remarkably low and is largely undetectable by the geodetic observations. Key Points: Interseismic strain rate, coseismic three‐dimensional displacement field, finite strain and short‐term postseismic deformation of the Maduo earthquakeThe 2021 Maduo earthquake occurred on a subsidiary fault with a low (<20 nanostrain/yr) interseismic shear strain rateLong (∼160 km) rupture of the Maduo earthquake features shallow slip deficit with multi‐segment slip not penetrating through the upper crust [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the crustal deformation and interseismic fault coupling along the strike-slip Kunlun fault, northern Tibet, whose western segment ruptured in the 2001 Mw 7.8 Kokoxili earthquake. We first integrated published Global Positioning System (GPS) velocity solutions and calculated strain rate fields covering the Kunlun fault. Our results show abnormally high post-earthquake strain rate values across the ruptures; furthermore, these exceed those in pre-earthquake data. Together with two tracks of interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) observations (2003–2010) and position time-series data from two continuous GPS sites, we show that the postseismic deformation of the Kokoxili earthquake may continue up to 2014; and that the postseismic transients of the earthquake affect the 2001–2014 GPS velocity solutions. We then processed the GPS data observed in 2014–2017 and obtained a dense interseismic velocity field for the northern Tibet. Using a fault dislocation model in a Bayesian framework, we estimated the slip rates and fault coupling on the Kunlun fault in 1991–2001 and 2014–2017. Results show an increase of slip rates and eastward migration of high fault coupling on the Kunlun fault after 2001. We propose the temporal variations are a result of the eastward accelerating movement, as a whole, of the Bayanhar block, whose boundaries were decoupled by several large earthquakes since 1997. Moreover, our results show the accumulated elastic strains along the Alake Lake-Tuosuo Lake segments could be balanced by an Mw 7.4–7.7 earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]