Back to Search
Start Over
The 2018 Mw 7.5 Papua New Guinea Earthquake: A Possible Complex Multiple Faults Failure Event With Deep‐Seated Reverse Faulting.
- Source :
-
Earth & Space Science . Mar2020, Vol. 7 Issue 3, p1-9. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- Although the Papuan fold and thrust belt (PFTB) is thought to accommodate convergence between the Pacific and Australian plates, the possible strain partitioning and its kinematic controls in the region are poorly understood. On 25 February 2018, a devastating Mw 7.5 earthquake jolted the southern area of the PFTB, central Papua New Guinea. The detailed imaging of the source parameters of this large earthquake is an urgent demand for a better understanding of the tectonism in the region. Here we used spaceborne interferometric synthetic aperture radar data to carefully determine the possible ruptured faults and associated fault geometries and further estimated the detailed slip of the 2018 Mw 7.5 earthquake. We find that the earthquake involved multiple faults failure, and a four‐segment fault model can reasonably produce the complex coseismic deformation, especially the observed bimodal displacements. The earthquake was dominated by reverse fault motion, and significant slip of up to ~0.7 m was documented on faults extending at depths great than 25 km. An integrated analysis of the fracture complexities suggests that possible strain partitioning in the PFTB could be tightly coupled with regional fault geometries and lithospheric properties. Our findings on the deep brittle failures suggest that crustal shortening across the PFTB could primarily control the growth of fold and thrust belt in the central Papua New Guinea. Key Points: Complete coseismic surface deformation generated from InSAR helps determine ruptured faults and constrain the complex source parametersThe 2018 Mw 7.5 Papua New Guinea earthquake was characterized by deep‐seated reverse faulting with ruptures extending into depths of 25 kmThis event revealed the possible strain partitioning in the Papuan fold and thrust belt and can help explain its growth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 23335084
- Volume :
- 7
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Earth & Space Science
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 142417546
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000966