Near-field deformation from the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake revealed by differential LIDAR

Michael E. Oskin; Ramon Arrowsmith; Alejandro Hinojosa Corona; Austin J. Elliott; John M. Fletcher; Eric J. Fielding; Peter O. Gold; J. Javier Gonzalez Garcia; Ken W. Hudnut; Jing Liu-Zeng; Orlando J. Teran

doi:10.1126/science.1213778

Near-field deformation from the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake revealed by differential LIDAR

Michael E. Oskin, Ramon Arrowsmith, Alejandro Hinojosa Corona, Austin J. Elliott, John M. Fletcher, Eric J. Fielding, Peter O. Gold, J. Javier Gonzalez Garcia, Ken W. Hudnut, Jing Liu-Zeng, Orlando J. Teran

Earth and Space Exploration, School of (SESE)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

209 Scopus citations

Abstract

Large [moment magnitude (M_w) ≥ 7] continental earthquakes often generate complex, multifault ruptures linked by enigmatic zones of distributed deformation. Here, we report the collection and results of a high-resolution (≥nine returns per square meter) airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the 2010 M_w 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake that produced a 120-kilometer-long multifault rupture through northernmost Baja California, Mexico. This differential LIDAR survey completely captures an earthquake surface rupture in a sparsely vegetated region with pre-earthquake lower-resolution (5-meter-pixel) LIDAR data. The postevent survey reveals numerous surface ruptures, including previously undocumented blind faults within thick sediments of the Colorado River delta. Differential elevation changes show distributed, kilometer-scale bending strains as large as ∼10³ microstrains in response to slip along discontinuous faults cutting crystalline bedrock of the Sierra Cucapah.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	702-705
Number of pages	4
Journal	Science
Volume	335
Issue number	6069
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1213778
State	Published - Feb 10 2012

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title = "Near-field deformation from the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake revealed by differential LIDAR",

abstract = "Large [moment magnitude (Mw) ≥ 7] continental earthquakes often generate complex, multifault ruptures linked by enigmatic zones of distributed deformation. Here, we report the collection and results of a high-resolution (≥nine returns per square meter) airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the 2010 Mw 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake that produced a 120-kilometer-long multifault rupture through northernmost Baja California, Mexico. This differential LIDAR survey completely captures an earthquake surface rupture in a sparsely vegetated region with pre-earthquake lower-resolution (5-meter-pixel) LIDAR data. The postevent survey reveals numerous surface ruptures, including previously undocumented blind faults within thick sediments of the Colorado River delta. Differential elevation changes show distributed, kilometer-scale bending strains as large as ∼103 microstrains in response to slip along discontinuous faults cutting crystalline bedrock of the Sierra Cucapah.",

author = "Oskin, {Michael E.} and Ramon Arrowsmith and Corona, {Alejandro Hinojosa} and Elliott, {Austin J.} and Fletcher, {John M.} and Fielding, {Eric J.} and Gold, {Peter O.} and Garcia, {J. Javier Gonzalez} and Hudnut, {Ken W.} and Jing Liu-Zeng and Teran, {Orlando J.}",

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doi = "10.1126/science.1213778",

language = "English (US)",

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AU - Oskin, Michael E.

AU - Arrowsmith, Ramon

AU - Corona, Alejandro Hinojosa

AU - Elliott, Austin J.

AU - Fletcher, John M.

AU - Fielding, Eric J.

AU - Gold, Peter O.

AU - Garcia, J. Javier Gonzalez

AU - Hudnut, Ken W.

AU - Liu-Zeng, Jing

AU - Teran, Orlando J.

PY - 2012/2/10

Y1 - 2012/2/10

N2 - Large [moment magnitude (Mw) ≥ 7] continental earthquakes often generate complex, multifault ruptures linked by enigmatic zones of distributed deformation. Here, we report the collection and results of a high-resolution (≥nine returns per square meter) airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the 2010 Mw 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake that produced a 120-kilometer-long multifault rupture through northernmost Baja California, Mexico. This differential LIDAR survey completely captures an earthquake surface rupture in a sparsely vegetated region with pre-earthquake lower-resolution (5-meter-pixel) LIDAR data. The postevent survey reveals numerous surface ruptures, including previously undocumented blind faults within thick sediments of the Colorado River delta. Differential elevation changes show distributed, kilometer-scale bending strains as large as ∼103 microstrains in response to slip along discontinuous faults cutting crystalline bedrock of the Sierra Cucapah.

AB - Large [moment magnitude (Mw) ≥ 7] continental earthquakes often generate complex, multifault ruptures linked by enigmatic zones of distributed deformation. Here, we report the collection and results of a high-resolution (≥nine returns per square meter) airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) topographic survey of the 2010 Mw 7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake that produced a 120-kilometer-long multifault rupture through northernmost Baja California, Mexico. This differential LIDAR survey completely captures an earthquake surface rupture in a sparsely vegetated region with pre-earthquake lower-resolution (5-meter-pixel) LIDAR data. The postevent survey reveals numerous surface ruptures, including previously undocumented blind faults within thick sediments of the Colorado River delta. Differential elevation changes show distributed, kilometer-scale bending strains as large as ∼103 microstrains in response to slip along discontinuous faults cutting crystalline bedrock of the Sierra Cucapah.

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Near-field deformation from the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake revealed by differential LIDAR

Abstract

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