Error Analysis of Strain Rates from GPS Measurements Based on Monte Carlo Method

Abstract

Errors of the strain rates, computed from GPS data, are very important in geodynamics. In order to solve this problem, we propose a method to calculate the errors of strain rates, computed from GPS vectors with measurement errors, on the base of Monte Carlo technique. Taken the Qinghai‐Tibet plateau as an example, independent computation of strain rate is repeated for large number of times, and the components of strain rates, as well as the errors, are obtained by statistical theory. The result shows that the errors of strain rates in NS, WE directions and shear components, respectively, are larger in Himalayas and both in the middle and in the east of the plateau than those in other places. In general, the strain rate in whole Qinghai‐Tibet plateau is accurate and stable. Also the result suggests that the errors of the strain rates computed from GPS measurements are mainly originated from the errors of GPS data. The accuracy of GPS survey does not meet the requirements for precisely computing the strain rates in the region where there is small value of deformation, for example in east China.