20 years of SAR measurements along the NAFS: interseismic deformation

A comprehensive analysis of the earthquake cycle is a key issue for the definition of the hazard in seismic areas. Advanced SAR Interferometry (A-InSAR) techniques have today a key role in Earth Sciences thanks to the capability to detect and measure slow surface movements along wide areas, and to follow the evolution of signal along a certain time periods. A-InSAR techniques have been applied to large datasets of SAR images spanning long time intervals and, together with in-situ surveys and ground measurements, can provide suitable information about the causes of post seismic (deformation rebound or residual strain release) and interseismic (seismic, creep) movements. In the framework of FP7 MARSITE (Marmara Supersite) project we have investigated the Western sector of North Anatolian Fault System (NAFS) from Istanbul toward Duzce area. From West toward the Marmara Sea region (Mudurnu/Akyaz) the NAFS begins to lose its single fault line character and splays into a complex fault system. The main Marmara Fault is argued to be a very young structure and exhibits typical characteristics of a major strike slip fault. In 1999 the August 17th Izmit earthquake was followed few months later by the Duzce mainshock. We compare the A-InSAR results to permanent GPS stations installed in the region after the Izmit/Duzce earthquakes. These observations allow studying the post-seismic deformation of the 1999 Izmit/Düzce earthquake. We investigate the response of the eastern Marmara Fault to the quasi-static loading caused by Izmit/Düzce earthquakes. Overlapped post-seismic processes of fault creep (or afterslip) and viscoelastic relaxation of the lower crust and the upper mantle were investigated. We firstly estimated the viscoelastic relaxation effect using well covered long-term GPS data. This relaxation effect was subtracted from the InSAR data and the remaining InSAR data was inverted to identify localized slip variation along the MMF. Our inversion results imply that part of the MMF segment is subject to aseismic fault movement. The fault movement might be triggered by the 1999 Izmit/Düzce earthquakes, and has partially released the strain accumulated on this segment, challenging previous interpretations on a possible rupture of this segment of the fault.