Co- and Early Postseismic Deformation Due to the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence Constrained by Sentinel-1 and COSMO-SkyMed SAR Data

Abstract

Abstract The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence ruptured a series of conjugate faults in the broad eastern California shear zone, north of the Mojave Desert in southern California. The average spacing between Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations around the earthquakes is 20–30 km, insufficient to constrain the rupture details of the earthquakes. Here, we use Sentinel-1 and COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) Synthetic Aperture Radar data to derive the high-resolution coseismic and early postseismic surface deformation related to the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Line of sight (LoS) Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar displacements derived from both Sentinel-1 and CSK data are in good agreement with GNSS measurements. The maximum coseismic displacement occurs near the Mw 7.1 epicenter, with an estimated fault offset of ∼4.5  m on a northwest-striking rupture. Pixel tracking analysis of CSK data also reveals a sharp surface offset of ∼1 m on a second northwest-striking fault strand on which the Mw 6.4 foreshock likely nucleated, which is located ∼2–3  km east of the major rupture. The lack of clear surface displacement across this fault segment during the Mw 6.4 event suggests this fault might have ruptured twice, with more pronounced and shallow slip during the Mw 7.1 mainshock. Both Sentinel-1 and CSK data reveal clear postseismic deformation following the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Cumulative postseismic deformation near the Mw 7.1 epicenter ∼2 months after the mainshock reaches ∼5  cm along the satellites’ LoSs. The observed postseismic deformation near the fault is indicative of both afterslip and poroelastic rebound. We provide data derived in this study in various data formats, which will be useful for the broad community studying this earthquake sequence.