Coseismic Deformation, Fault Slip Distribution, and Coulomb Stress Perturbation of the 2023 Türkiye-Syria Earthquake Doublet Based on SAR Offset Tracking

The Turkiye-Syria earthquake doublet of 6 February 2023 (Mw 7.8 at 01:17 UTC and Mw 7.6 at 10:24 UTC) resulted in extensive damage and tens of thousands of casualties. We present the surface displacements of the two earthquakes from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) offset tracking measurements. We extracted the geometric parameters of the rupture faults from the surface displacements and early aftershock distribution, based on which we inverted the coseismic slip distributions. We then calculated Coulomb stress to investigate the triggering relationship between the earthquakes and stress transfer to neighbouring faults and regions. The coseismic ruptures of the earthquake doublet were predominantly left-lateral strike-slip motions distributed between 0 and 15 km depth. The maximum fault slip reached > 8 m (Mw 7.8) and almost 10 m (Mw 7.6). The coseismic deformation and fault slip motion are consistent with the overall westward extrusion of the Anatolian Plate relative to the Eurasian and Arabian plates. The Mw 7.8 earthquake increased Coulomb failure stress at the hypocenter of the Mw 7.6 earthquake, implying that the Mw 7.8 event had a strong positive causative effect. Moreover, coseismic stress perturbations revealed a positive Coulomb stress effect on the middle Puturge Fault, northern Dead Sea Fault Zone (DSFZ), Yesemek Fault, Antakya Fault, and Turkoglu Fault, indicating an increasing seismic hazard in these regions.

Automated summary

This article examines the surface displacements and fault slip of the Turkiye-Syria doublet earthquakes in 2023 and investigates the triggering relationship and stress transfer between the earthquakes. The results indicate that the coseismic ruptures were predominantly left-lateral strike-slip motions, consistent with the overall westward extrusion of the Anatolian Plate. Furthermore, the Mw 7.8 earthquake had a strong positive causative effect on the Mw 7.6 earthquake and increased seismic hazard in certain regions.