An aseismic slip pulse in northern Chile and along‐strike variations in seismogenic behavior

Abstract

We use interferometric synthetic aperture radar, GPS, and seismic observations spanning 5 to 18 years to reveal a detailed kinematic picture of the spatiotemporal evolution of fault slip in a region corresponding to the 30 July 1995 M w 8.1 subduction zone megathrust earthquake in northern Chile. In a single area, we document a complex mosaic of phenomena including large earthquakes, postseismic afterslip with a spatial distribution that appears to be tied to variations in coastal morphology, and a completely aseismic pulse that may have triggered a M w 7.1 earthquake on 30 January 1998. In contrast to simple models of fault slip behavior, this spatial heterogeneity indicates that frictional parameters on the fault do not have a systematic transition with depth and also vary rapidly along strike. The low amount of afterslip from the M w 8.1 earthquake relative to other similar events suggests that postseismic behavior may be modulated by the amount of sediment subducted.