Detection of Fault Creep around NAF by InSAR time series analysis using PALSAR data

摘要

North Anatolian Fault (NAF) has several records of a huge earthquake occurrence in the last one century, which is well-known as a risky active fault. Some signs indicating a creep displacement could be observed on the Ismetpasa segment. It is reported so far that the San Andreas Fault in California, the Longitudinal Valley fault in Taiwan and the Valley Fault System in Metro Manila also exhibit fault creep. The fault with creep deformation is aseismic and never generates the large-scale earthquakes. But the scale and rate of fault creep are important factors to watch the fault behavior and to understand the cycle of earthquake. The purpose of this study is to investigate the distribution of spatial and temporal change on the ground motion due to fault creep in the surrounding of the Ismetpasa, NAF. DInSAR is capable to catch a subtle land displacement less than a centimeter and observe a wide area at a high spatial resolution. We applied InSAR time series analysis using PALSAR data in order to measure long-term ground deformation from 2007 until 2011. As a result, the land deformation that the northern and southern parts of the fault have slipped to east and west at a rate of 7.5 and 6.5 mm/year in line of sight respectively were obviously detected. In addition, it became clear that the fault creep along the NAF extended 61 km in east to west direction.