Post-seismic relaxation process and vertical deformation following the 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, China

Abstract

The post-seismic horizontal and vertical deformations following the 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake are inferred from GPS and precise leveling data. The post-seismic relaxation process is measured using CPS data from campaign stations located around the Longmenshan fault, and the derived decay time constant is 12 days. The evolution of the post-seismic vertical deformation is obtained from precise leveling data measured near the surface rupture. The results demonstrate that the hanging wall is uplifting and the foot wall is subsiding. The amplitude of the post-seismic deformation is lower than that of the co-seismic deformation. The region with the largest post-seismic displacement is located on the leveling route between Maoxian and Beichuan on the hanging wall.

Keywords

• post-seismic deformation
• relaxation process
• the Wenchuan earthquake
• leveling