Formation of Earthquake Faults by the Fukushima Hamadori Earthquake and an Estimation of Displacement Distribution Around the Faults Using Airborne LiDAR Data

Abstract

A series of earthquake faults was produced by the 2011 Fukushima Hamadori Earthquake (Mw 7.1), which broke out one month after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Two lines of earthquake faults appeared extending 30 km in length. They were inferred to be located partly on the active faults and partly on its extended line. The purpose of this presentation is to analyze these faults. We made use of a new method of airborne LiDAR data in the investigation of the displacement distribution by the earthquake. The results obtained fit generally well with the distribution data of net fault displacement produced by field investigation. Furthermore, the results suggest that the earthquake caused block tilting and land subsidence. Our new method makes available information difficult to obtain by the conventional method of field research of displacement distribution and it is useful for investigation immediately after the earthquake.