No abstract

A large earthquake of M j 7.2 occurred on June 14, 2008, beneath the border between Iwate and Miyagi prefectures in northeastern Japan. We propose a simple rectangular fault model based on a dense GPS network, including continuous GPS sites run by four agencies, to describe the coseismic deformation. The coseismic displacements are estimated by kinematic PPP (precise point positioning) analysis. Near the hypocenter, colocated independent instruments (integrated accelerogram and kinematic PPP) measure the same large displacement caused by the mainshock. The fault model explains the observations well and reproduces the observed complex spatial pattern, especially around the northern part of the focal area, which is the focus of a debate on whether or not the coseismic slip occurred on the Dedana fault system. Our results show that no major slip on the Dedana fault system occurred. The estimated amount of moment release was equivalent to M w 6.9, and the maximum slip reached 3.5 m on the southern sub-fault.

No abstract

An intermediate-strength earthquake of magnitude M j 6.8 occurred on July 16, 2007, centered beneath the Japan Sea a few kilometers offshore of Niigata Prefecture in central Japan. We constructed a dense GPS network to investigate postseismic deformation after this event, choosing our GPS sites carefully so as to complement the nationwide GPS GEONET array. Coseismic displacements caused by the mainshock detected at some GEONET sites were used to estimate coseismic fault parameters. The results indicate that the geodetic data can be explained by a combination of two rectangular faults dipping northwest and southeast. Minor but definite postseismic deformation was detected largely in the southern part of the dense network. The time series of site coordinates can be characterized by a logarithmic decay function, and the estimated time constant seems to be almost similar in range to that of the 2004 Mid-Niigata Prefecture Earthquake. We also found a possible site instability at 960566 (Izumo-zaki, GEONET) caused by a small, local landslide associated with the mainshock and therefore concluded that the data obtained at this site should not be used for coseismic or postseismic analysis.

No abstract