A refined slip distribution of the 2013 Mw 6.7 Lushan, China earthquake constrained by GPS and levelling data

Abstract

SUMMARY The 2013 Lushan Mw 6.7 earthquake is the largest blind thrust event ever occurred on the southern segment of the Longmen Shan fault system. It has attracted extensive attention since it occurred 5 yr later following the 2008 Mw 7.8 Wenchuan destructive earthquake in this region. However, its slip distribution is still on debate due to the complex tectonic settings and limited near-field observations. In this study, we added some near-field GPS data, together with previously published GPS data and levelling data, and take consideration of possible coseismic and post-seismic effects caused by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, to construct a more accurate horizontal and vertical coseismic surface displacement field associated with the 2013 Lushan earthquake with a better spatial coverage. Then we invert for a refined slip distribution based on a flat-ramp-flat fault suggested by the relocated aftershock sequence and seismic imaging. Our preferred fault plane is striking southwest with 211° and dipping at varying angles of 4°, 35° and 12° separately for such a flat-ramp-flat geometry. The main rupture is roughly characterized by two asperities, including a round disk on the ramp with larger slips and an adjoining oval asperity on the shallow flat with smaller slips. The maximum slip is 1.2 m at 14.3 km focal depth, located at ∼20 km to the northwest of the GCMT epicentre. The released geodetic moment is 1.50 $\ \times $ 1019 Nm, equivalent to a Mw 6.7 earthquake. The slips on the fault plane clearly illustrate that this event is dominated by the thrusting and minor striking, which is consistent with its tectonic settings. Furthermore, if we assume the 2013 Mw 6.7 Lushan event to be the characteristic earthquake on the southern section of the Longmen Shan thrust zone, the accumulated strain should not be fully released by this strong event, and a potential seismic risk still exists in this region.