Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

New Model of the Rupture Surface of the Mw = 7.8 Near Islands Aleutian Earthquake of July 17, 2017 Based on SAR Interferometry

  • Published:
Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract—A new model of the rupture surface of the Mw = 7.8 Near Islands Aleutian earthquake that occurred on July 17, 2017 in the region of the Commander Islands of the Aleutian Island Arc is presented. The model is based on the displacement fields obtained from Sentinel-1B radar images for the Bering and Mednyi Islands. Among the interferogram pairs calculated from the images covering the period from June 17 to August 28, 2017, the most reliable displacement fields were obtained from the image pair July 11–July 23, 2017. These displacements include coseismic and part of postseismic displacements. The inversion also involved the displacement data recorded by the GNSS GPS stations on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Commander Islands, and the closest to the epicenter Aleutian Islands. Due to the fact that displacements substantially exceeding the noise level were only recorded at two GPS stations on the Bering and Shemya islands, the use of the InSAR data substantially refines the existing earthquake source models. In our models, a seismic rupture zone is approximated by a plane with a length of 370 km along the strike and 19 km along the dip, respectively. Three models have been calculated: a model of uniform displacement across the entire rupture surface; a model in which the rupture surface is divided strikewise into five elements; and a model divided into four elements along the strike and into two levels along the dip, with a total of eight elements. All models demonstrate the same displacement type—right-lateral strike-slip faulting with a relatively small thrust component. According to the constructed models, the displacements in some areas of the rupture surface are slightly smaller than average but, generally, they occur all over the source zone. The models based on satellite geodetic data and on waveform inversion largely agree. The discrepancy between the models utilizing different data types can probably be due to the fact that seismological data characterize the part of the source process that is accompanied by the generation of seismic waves. Surface displacements estimated from InSAR data do not characterize the main event alone but also contain contributions that may reflect various creep processes. The period covered by the radar images also includes the foreshocks with magnitudes up to 6.3 as well as more than 100 aftershocks with magnitudes between 4 to 5.5. Perhaps that is why the displacements obtained in our models are more uniformly distributed over the 370-km rupture surface than in the models based on the waveform analysis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 8.

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. https://www.globalcmt.org/CMTsearch.html.

  2. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20009x42/ finite-fault.

REFERENCES

  1. Argus, D.F., Gordon, R.G., and DeMets, C., Geologically current motion of 56 plates relative to the no-net-rotation reference frame, Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst., 2011, vol. 12, no. 11, pp. 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Chebrov, D.V., Kugaenko, Yu.A., Abubakirov, I.R., Lander, A.V., Pavlov, V.M., Saltykov, V.A., and Titkov, N.N., The July 17, 2017 Near Islands Aleutian earthquake, M w = 7.8, on the boundary of the Commander seismic gap (western part of the Aleutian arc), Vestn. KRAUNTs, Nauki Zemle, 2017, vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 22–25.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Chebrov, D.V., Kugaenko, Yu.A., Lander, A.V., Abubakirov, I.R., Gusev, A.A., Droznina, S.Ya., Mityushkina, S.V., Ototyuk, D.A., Pavlov, V.M., and Titkov, N.N., Near Islands Aleutian earthquake with M w = 7.8 on July 17, 2017: I. Extended rupture along the commander block of the Aleutian island arc from observations in Kamchatka, Izv., Phys. Solid Earth, 2019, vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 576–599.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Diament, M., Mikhailov, V., and Timoshkina, E., Joint inversion of GPS and high-resolution GRACE gravity data for the 2012 Wharton basin earthquakes, J. Geodyn., 2020, vol. 136, Paper ID 101722.

  5. Geist, E.L. and Scholl, D.W., Large scale deformation related to the collision of the Aleutian Arc with Kamchatka, Tectonics, 1994, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 538–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Gordeev, E.I., Pinegina, T.K., Lander, A.V., and Kozhurin, A.I., Beringia: Seismic hazard and fundamental problems of geotectonics, Izv., Phys. Solid Earth, 2015, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 512–521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hanssen, R.F., Radar Interferometry: Data Interpretation and Error Analysis, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic, 2001.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  8. Kogan, M.G., Frolov, D.I., Vasilenko, N.F., Freymueller, J.T., Steblov, G.M., Ekström, G., Titkov, N.N., and Prytkov, A.S., Plate coupling and strain in the far western Aleutian arc modeled from GPS data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 2017, vol. 44, no. 7, pp. 3176–3183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Lander, A.V., Bukchin, B.G., Droznin, D.V., and Kiryushin A.V., Tektonicheskaya pozitsiya i ochagovye parametry Khailinskogo (Koryakskogo) zemletryaseniya 8 marta 1991 g.: sushchestvuet li plita Beringiya?, Vychislitel’naya seismologiya, vyp. 26 (The Tectonic Position and Source Parameters of the Khailino (Koryakiya) Earthquake of March 8, 1991: Does a Beringia Plate Exist?, Computational Seismology, vol. 26), Moscow: Nauka, 1994, pp. 103–122.

  10. Lay, T., Ye, L., Bai, Y., Cheung, K.F., Kanamori, H., Freymueller, J., Steblov, G.M., and Kogan, M.G., Rupture along 400 km of the Bering Fracture Zone in the Komandorsky Islands earthquake (M w 7.8) of July 17, 2017, Geophys. Res. Lett., 2017, vol. 44, no. 24, pp. 12161–12169.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Lobkovsky, L.I., Baranov, B.V., Dozorova, K.A., Mazova, R.Kh., Kisel’man, B.A., and Baranova, N.A., The Komandor seismic gap: Earthquake prediction and tsunami computation, Oceanology, 2014, vol. 54, no. 4, pp. 519–531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lutikov, A.I., Rogozhin, E.A., Dontsova, G.Yu., and Zhukovets, V.N., The M w 7.8 earthquake of July 17, 2017 off the Commander Islands and other large earthquakes at the western segment of the Aleutian island arc, J. Volcanol. Seismol., 2019, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 112–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Mackey, K.G., Fujita, K., Gunbina, L.V., Kovalev, V.N., Imaev, V.S., Kozmin, B.M., and Imaeva, L.P., Seismicity of the Bering Strait region: evidence for a Bering block, Geology, 1997, vol. 25, no. 11, pp. 979–982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Mikhailov, V.O., Kiseleva, E.A., Smol’yaninova, E.I., Dmitriev, P.N., Golubev, V.I., Isaev, Yu.S., Dorokhin, K.A., Timoshkina, E.P., and Khairetdinov, S.A., Some problems of landslide monitoring using satellite radar imagery with different wavelengths: Case study of two landslides in the region of Greater Sochi, Izv., Phys. Solid Earth, 2014, vol. 50, no. 4, pp. 576–587.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Mikhailov, V.O., Kiseleva, E.A., Arora, K., Timoshkina, E.P., Smirnov, V.B., Chadda, R., Ponomarev, A.V., and Shrinagesh, D., New data on the Olyutorskii earthquake acquired via SAR interferometry, J. Volcanol. Seismol., 2018, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 213–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Mikhailov, V.O., Timoshkina, E.P., Kiseleva, E.A., Khairetdinov, S.A., Dmitriev, P.N., Kartashov, I.M., and Smirnov, V.B., Problems of the joint inversion of temporal gravity variations with the data on land and seafloor displacements: a case study of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake of March 11, 2011, Izv., Phys. Solid Earth, 2019, vol. 55, no. 5, pp. 746–752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Okada, Y., Surface deformation due to shear and tensile faults in a half-space, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 1985, vol. 75, no. 4, pp. 1135–1154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Okada, Y., Internal deformation due to shear and tensile faults in a half-space, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 1992, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 1018–1040.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Pollitz, F.F., Coseismic deformation from earthquake faulting on a layered spherical Earth, Geophys. J. Int., 1996, vol. 125, no. 1, pp. 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Pollitz, F.F., Gravitational viscoelastic postseismic relaxation on a layered spherical Earth, J. Geophys. Res.: Solid Earth, 1997, vol. 102, no. B8, pp. 17921–17941.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Redfield, T.F., Scholl, D.W., Fitzgerald, P.G., and Beck, M.E., Jr., Escape tectonics and the extrusion of Alaska: Past, present, and future, Geology, 2007, vol. 35, no. 11, pp. 1039–1042.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Rogozhin E.A., Lutikov A.I., Dontsova G.Yu., and Zhukovets V.N., The M w = 7.8 earthquake of July 17, 2017 near the Commander Islands: Tectonic position and geodynamic setting, Izv., Phys. Solid Earth, 2019, vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 600–615.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Scholl, D.W., Viewing the tectonic evolution of the Kamchatka-Aleutian (KAT) connection with an Alaska crustal extrusion perspective, in Volcanism and Subduction: The Kamchatka Region, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 172, Eichelberger, J., Gordeev, E., Kasahara, M., and Lees, J., Eds., Washington: Am. Geophys. Union, 2007, pp. 3–35.

  24. Sykes, L.R., Aftershock zones of great earthquakes, seismicity gaps, and earthquake prediction for Alaska and Aleutians, J. Geophys. Res., 1971, vol. 76, no. 32, pp. 8021–8041.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Thingbaijam, K.K.S., Mai, M.P., and Goda, K., New empirical earthquake source-scaling laws, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 2017, vol. 107, no. 5, pp. 2225–2246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Timoshkina, E.P., Mikhailov, V.O., Smirnov, V.B., Volkova, M.S., and Khairetdinov, S.A., Model of the rupture surface of the Khuvsgul earthquake of January 12, 2021 from InSAR data, Izv., Phys. Solid Earth, 2022, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 74–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

The study was carried out in partial fulfillment of the State Contract of Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the support from the Russian Federation Ministry of Education and Science under project no. 14.W03.31.0033 “Geophysical study, monitoring, and forecasting the development of catastrophic geodynamic processes in the Far East of the Russian Federation.” The part of the study concerning the role of satellite methods in estimating deformation anomalies in the earthquake source region was supported by Interdisciplinary Scientific and Educational School “Fundamental and Applied Space Research” of the Moscow State University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences, 123242, Moscow, Russia

    V. O. Mikhailov, V. A. Timofeeva, V. B. Smirnov, E. P. Timoshkina & N. M. Shapiro

  2. Faculty of Physics, Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, Russia

    V. O. Mikhailov & V. B. Smirnov

  3. Institute of Earthquake Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997, Moscow, Russia

    V. A. Timofeeva

  4. Institut des Sciences de la Terre, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, 38058, Grenoble, France

    N. M. Shapiro

Authors
  1. V. O. Mikhailov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. V. A. Timofeeva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. V. B. Smirnov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. P. Timoshkina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. N. M. Shapiro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to V. A. Timofeeva.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Translated by M. Nazarenko

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mikhailov, V.O., Timofeeva, V.A., Smirnov, V.B. et al. New Model of the Rupture Surface of the Mw = 7.8 Near Islands Aleutian Earthquake of July 17, 2017 Based on SAR Interferometry. Izv., Phys. Solid Earth 58, 230–242 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1069351322020082

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1069351322020082

Keywords:

Search

Navigation