Creep on the Argentine Precordillera Décollement Following the 2015 Illapel, Chile, Earthquake: Implications for Andean Seismotectonics

Abstract

Abstract The Central and South‐Central Andes form a “two‐sided” mountain belt bounded by distinct zones of convergence in the forearc and backarc flanks. Previous geodetic interseismic deformation studies found that the forearc to backarc velocity field is better explained when elastic models allow reverse aseismic slip on the Andes eastern‐flank décollement faults. Here, we extend the earlier interpretation of interseismic motion and argue that normal aseismic creep of the Precordillera décollement is required to explain backarc Global Navigation Satellite System displacements during the co‐ and early postseismic phases of the 2015 Illapel, Chile, earthquake. This model significantly reduces the previously reported overlap between coseismic slip and afterslip on the megathrust of this earthquake, consistent with the expectation that these slip modes are spatially partitioned. These findings have direct implications for estimating recurrence interval and slip rate, and for probabilistic seismic hazard analysis on both sides of the orogen.

Keywords

• Illapel earthquake
• GNSS
• coseismic deformation
• postsesimic deformation
• Andean seismotectonics
• Precordillera décollement