Small‐scale deformations associated with the 1992 Landers, California, earthquake mapped by synthetic aperture radar interferometry phase gradients

The Landers earthquake (Mw 7.3) occurred on June 28, 1992, and ruptured nearly 100 km of previously mapped and unmapped faults in the Mojave Desert. We use synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) to examine the cumulative surface deformation between April 24 and August 7, 1992, in a 100 × 100 km region surrounding the northern portion of the earthquake rupture. Also, we introduce a technique for manipulating SAR interferograms to extract short-wavelength displacement information. This technique involves computation and subsequent combination of interferometric phase gradient maps. The InSAR results show significant deformation signatures associated with faults, fractures, dry lake beds, and mountainous regions within 75–100 km of the main rupture. Using the phase gradient method, we are able to extract small-scale deformation patterns near the main rupture. Many of the preexisting, mapped faults within 50 km of the main rupture experienced triggered slip; these include the Old Woman, Lenwood, Johnson Valley, West Calico, and Calico Faults. The InSAR results also indicate right-lateral offsets along secondary fractures trending N-NE within the left-lateral zone of shear between the main rupture and the Johnson Valley Fault. Additionally, there are interesting interferogram fringe signatures surrounding Troy Dry Lake and Coyote Dry Lake that are related to deformation of dry lake beds.

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