Coseismic slip distribution of the 2002 Mw7.9 Denali fault earthquake, Alaska, determined from GPS measurements -: art. no. 1670

[1] On 3 November 2002 an M(W)7.9 earthquake occurred in central Alaska. The earthquake ruptured portions of the Susitna Glacier, Denali, and Totschunda faults. Inversion of the GPS-measured displacement field indicates that the event was dominated by a complex, right-lateral strike-slip rupture along the Denali fault. GPS sites closest to the epicenter show the effect of thrust motion on the Susitna Glacier fault. The preferred coseismic slip model, with M(W)7.8, indicates relatively low slip on the western part of the rupture and high slip from about 60 km east of the hypocenter extending to the junction of the Denali and Totschunda faults. We find mostly shallow slip from the surface to 15 km depth, but the inversion suggests one large deep slip patch about 110 km east of the hypocenter. Our model predicts surface slip in good agreement with surface geological observations, where model resolution is good.