Geodetic constraints on frictional properties of the Imperial fault, Southern California

Abstract:

We analyze a suite of geodetic observations across the Imperial fault in Southern California that span the complete earthquake cycle. We record interseismic deformation using four separate ENVISAT InSAR viewing geometries and continuous and survey-mode GPS, resulting in a dense set of observations of both shallow creep and regional strain accumulation due to secular loading. These data are combined with observations of coseismic and postseismic surface slip due to the 1979 Mw 6.6 Imperial Valley earthquake. We compare the geodetic data to two-dimensional models of the earthquake cycle on a strike-slip fault obeying rate- and state-dependent friction. We find that data from all parts of the earthquake cycle are required to constrain key fault properties such as the rate-dependence parameter (a-b) as a function of depth; the extent of shallow creep; and the recurrence interval of large events. The data are inconsistent with a high (>30 mm/yr) slip rate on the Imperial fault, and we propose that an extension of the San Jacinto - Superstition Hills fault system through the town of El Centro may accommodate a significant portion of the slip previously attributed to the Imperial fault. Models including this additional sub-parallel fault are in better agreement with the available observations, implying that the long-term slip rate of the Imperial fault is lower than previously suggested, and that there may be a significant unmapped hazard in the western Imperial Valley.