SLIP MODEL OF THE 2001 KUNLUN MOUNTAIN MS8.1 EARTHQUAKE BY SDM: JOINT INVERSION FROM GPS AND INSAR DATA

Abstract

For the 2001 M_S8.1 Kunlun earthquake, which was one of the largest events occurred around the Tibet plateau, a large controversy still exists about its rupture detail. In this paper, we invert the co-seismic GPS and InSAR data for a robust finite-fault model of the Kunlun earthquake based on a realistic fault geometry buried in a layered earth structure. The inversion is based on the constrained least-squares principle and realized using the steepest decent method (SDM). The different data sets are weighted according to their variance and spatial coverage. The results show that the slip maximum can reach up to ∼6.9 m and is located at 35.76° N and 93.40° E. The main rupture area is located at the shallow depth above 20 km. The inverted shallow slip agrees with the surface rupture observed by the field survey, and the whole slip pattern appears generally consistent with the results obtained from previous geological and seismic wave studies.