SIR-C Interferometry for Karakas Fault Study In West China

摘要

The Karakax fault is located in Mt. Kunlun of the western China, resulting from the collision between the Indian plate and Euro-Asian plate. Evidences of the fault activities could be found in the Karakax valley, which provide information for studies of regional tectonices and global change. In Oct. 1994, the second mission of SIR-C/X-SAR was carried out (STS-68). The space shuttle Endeavor was flown in a near repeat orbit for the last three days of the mission, collecting data over several sites for interferometry, including the Karakax valley. In this study, the SIR-C interferometric data was used for the fault analysis. Firstly, the interferometric technique was described. Data pairs of the east part of Karakax fault were registered. One of them was multiplied by the conjugate of the other, resulting in the interferogram. The phase of interferogram was then flatten using ground control points, and unwrapped to produce the digital topography. Using DEM results and radar images, the morphology and kinematics of Karakax fault were analyzed, and validated by ground truth data.