Estimating the 2008 Quetame (Colombia) earthquake source parameters from seismic data and InSAR measurements

• Seismic and geodetic data improve source parameters for 2008 Quetame earthquake.
• Quetame event associated with “escape” of the North Andean block.
• Results show how margin-parallel shear is partitioned at transpressive boundaries.
• Earthquake illuminates seismic hazard for 8 million residents of Bogota Colombia.

Seismic waveforms and geodetic measurements (InSAR) were used to determine the location, focal mechanism and coseismic surface displacements of the Mw 5.9 earthquake which struck the center of Colombia on May 24, 2008. We determined the focal mechanism of the main event using teleseismic P wave arrivals and regional waveform inversion for the moment tensor. We relocated the best set of aftershocks (30 events) with magnitudes larger than 2.0 recorded from May to June 2008 by a temporary local network as well as by stations of the Colombia national network. We successfully estimated coseismic deformation using SAR interferometry, despite distortion in some areas of the interferogram by atmospheric noise. The deformation was compared to synthetic data for rectangular dislocations in an elastic half-space. Nine source parameters (strike, dip, length, width, strike-slip deformation, dip-slip deformation, latitude shift, longitude shift, and minimum depth) were inverted to fit the observed changes in line-of-sight (LOS) toward the satellite four derived parameters were also estimated (rake, average slip, maximum depth and seismic moment). The aftershock relocation, the focal mechanism and the coseismic dislocation model agree with a right-lateral strike-slip fault with nodal planes oriented NE-SW and NW-SE. We use the results of the waveform inversion, radar interferometry and aftershock relocations to identify the high-angle NE-SW nodal plane as the primary fault. The inferred subsurface rupture length is roughly 11 km, which is consistent with the 12 km long distribution of aftershocks. This coseismic model can provide insights on earthquake mechanisms and seismic hazard assessments for the area, including the 8 million residents of Colombia's nearby capital city Bogota. The 2008 Quetame earthquake appears to be associated with the northeastward “escape” of the North Andean block, and it may help to illuminate how margin-parallel shear slip is partitioned in the Eastern Cordillera.