High-resolution geodetic strain rate field reveals dynamics of the India-Eurasia collision

Determining the distribution of seismic hazard in the continents requires an understanding of how much deformation is accommodated by major faults. Quantifying the role of major faults in continental deformation has been hampered by a lack of high-resolution observations in the deforming interiors of continents. By combining surface movement data derived from 22,000 satellite radar images with data from sparse, ground-based GNSS stations we produce the first high-resolution present-day surface velocity field for the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding region, where the collision of rigid Indian lithosphere with Eurasia has created Earth’s largest and highest deforming region. We show that continental deformation is best characterized by a combination of continuous distributed deformation and focused strain on a few major fault systems.