Constraining primary surface rupture length along the Paganica fault (2009 L’Aquila earthquake) with geological and geodetic (DInSAR and GPS) data

Field surveys performed by different research groups after the
April 6, 2009 L’Aquila earthquake (Mw 6.1; CHIARALUCE et alii, 2011)
identified the occurrence of surface faulting along the Paganica normal
fault, the causative seismogenic source of the event. The different
researchers provided patterns of surface rupture that slightly differ as
for the northern and southern portion of the Paganica fault. We here
integrated coseismic geodetic data – DInSAR and GPS – with geological
observations in order to discriminate what, among the different
surface rupture patterns, can be considered as evidence of primary surface
faulting. Our results indicated that the Mt. Stabiata-Mt. Castellano
faults, to the north, and the San Demetrio fault, to the south – along to
which BONCIO et alii (2010) and GALLI et alii (2010) detected ground
ruptures, respectively – probably activated solely as sympathetic (sensu
SleMMONS & DEPOLO, 1986; DEPOLO, 1994) tectonic structures during
the 2009 earthquake. These observations allowed to constrain the
extension of the primary surface faulting from the Collebrincioni sector
to the area of San Gregorio, thus representing the northern and the
southern tips of the Paganica fault, respectively. This defines a total
surface rupture length of 12-13 km. Our results highlight the effectiveness
of entwining geological and geodetic data to discriminate primary
surface faulting from secondary fault ruptures, particularly in cases of
moderate magnitude earthquakes, i.e. when modest and rather subtle
surface faulting can occur.

Part of this work has been carried out within the ASI-SIGRIS project, funded by the Italian Space Agency and Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia

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