Is the deformation rate of the Longmenshan fault zone really small? Insight from seismic data at the two-decade time scale

Yizhe Zhao, Zhongliang Wu, Changsheng Jiang, Chuanzhen Zhu
2010 Earth, Planets and Space  
Local earthquake catalogues complete down to M L 2.5 are used to calculate the cumulative Benioff strain along the central-and north-Longmenshan fault zone which accommodated the May 12, 2008, Wenchuan M S 8.0 earthquake. The nearby Xianshuihe, Anninghe, and Zemuhe fault zone are used for comparison. The data revealed that at the two-decade time scale which is different from geological process and GPS measurement, considering both horizontal and vertical deformation, and comparing with the
more » ... boring active fault systems, the Longmenshan fault zone seems not as 'quiet' as traditionally assessed, providing a lesson for future seismic hazard analysis.
doi:10.5047/eps.2009.05.001 fatcat:u2d5mp3kx5gzpm3vxf4grhj2ym