Coseismic slip and early afterslip of the 2015 Illapel, Chile, earthquake: Implications for frictional heterogeneity and coastal uplift. Issue 8 (16th August 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Barnhart, William D.; Murray, Jessica R.; Briggs, Richard W.; Gomez, Francisco; Miles, Charles P. J.; Svarc, Jerry; Riquelme, Sebastian; Stressler, Bryan J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 121:Issue 8(2016:Aug.)
• Page Start: 6172
• Page End: 6191
• Publication Date: 2016-08-16
• Subjects: afterslip -- Illapel earthquake -- InSAR -- rate and state friction -- coastal uplift -- Megathrust earthquake -- Asperity Models; Geomagnetism -- Periodicals; Geochemistry -- Periodicals; Geophysics -- Periodicals; Earth sciences -- Periodicals; 551.1
• DOI: 10.1002/2016JB013124
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-9313

Abstract

Abstract: Great subduction earthquakes are thought to rupture portions of the megathrust, where interseismic coupling is high and velocity‐weakening frictional behavior is dominant, releasing elastic deformation accrued over a seismic cycle. Conversely, postseismic afterslip is assumed to occur primarily in regions of velocity‐strengthening frictional characteristics that may correlate with lower interseismic coupling. However, it remains unclear if fixed frictional properties of the subduction interface, coseismic or aftershock‐induced stress redistribution, or other factors control the spatial distribution of afterslip. Here we use interferometric synthetic aperture radar and Global Position System observations to map the distribution of coseismic slip of the 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel, Chile, earthquake and afterslip within the first 38 days following the earthquake. We find that afterslip overlaps the coseismic slip area and propagates along‐strike into regions of both high and moderate interseismic coupling. The significance of these observations, however, is tempered by the limited resolution of geodetic inversions for both slip and coupling. Additional afterslip imaged deeper on the fault surface bounds a discrete region of deep coseismic slip, and both contribute to net uplift of the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. A simple partitioning of the subduction interface into regions of fixed frictional properties cannot reconcile our geodetic observations. Instead, stress heterogeneities, either preexisting or induced by the earthquake, likely provide the primary control on the afterslip distribution for this subduction zone earthquake. We also explore the occurrence of coseismic and postseismic coastal uplift in this sequence and its implications for recent hypotheses concerning the source of permanent coastal uplift along subduction zones. Key Points: We map coseismic slip and early afterslip of the Illapel earthquake with InSAR and GPS Afterslip overlaps with coseismic slip and regions of high interseismic coupling, suggesting that frictional heterogeneities exist Deep coseismic slip and afterslip cause coastal uplift that may contribute in part to permanent coastal uplift