Potential of InSAR for routine earthquake analysis

Space-borne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques provide a method to improve earthquake locations and determine focal mechanisms that are independent of error sources which have plagued seismologists for the last century, including: inaccurate velocity models, sparse and uneven station coverage, and inaccurate or misidentified phase picks. By modeling InSAR-derived surface deformations, the rupture plane and fault slip of near-surface dry-land events can be obtained. The prospect of a dedicated InSAR mission, combined with the now-refined processing techniques, makes routine seismic monitoring using InSAR a future possibility. We assess the potential impact of InSAR on routine earthquake analysis by estimating the frequency and global distribution of InSAR-detectable earthquakes. We will compare the accuracy of seismically derived and InSAR-derived locations and focal mechanisms. In addition, theoretical detection thresholds for a range of magnitudes, focal mechanisms, and depths will be presented, along with a global map showing regions where source parameter estimates could be improved using InSAR techniques.