Large Surface‐Rupture Gaps and Low Surface Fault Slip of the 2021 M_w 7.4 Maduo Earthquake Along a Low‐Activity Strike‐Slip Fault, Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

Abstract Based on field investigations, interpretations of high‐resolution UAV images, and analyses of available InSAR data, we mapped the fault geometry and surface ruptures of the 2021 M w 7.4 Maduo earthquake that occurred on a low‐activity strike‐slip fault within the Tibetan Plateau. The results indicate that (a) the earthquake activated a fault that is ∼161 km long and has complicated structural geometry; (b) the surface rupture occurs over a distance of 148 km, but is separated into three distinct segments by two large gaps (38 and 20 km, respectively); (c) within the surface‐rupture segments, the horizontal and vertical displacements are typically 0.2–2.6 m (much lower than the InSAR‐based slip maximum of 2–6 m at depth) and ≤0.4 m, respectively. The two large gaps of the Maduo surface rupture represent the two largest surface‐rupture discontinuities of strike‐slip earthquakes ever documented, and coincide with structurally complicated fault portions and near‐surface soft sediments.