Surface deformation along the Carmel Fault System, Israel

The existing knowledge about the recent crustal deformations along the Carmel Fault in Northern Israel which passes the city of Haifa is to a certain degree ambiguous. Depending on geological, geophysical or geodetic sources the movement rates and senses range from 1 mm/yr sinistral up to 4 mm/yr dextral. In this paper we analyze GPS data from a regional network observed between 1999 and 2009 and derive global and regional velocities for 23 sites along the fault. The regional site velocities were estimated with respect to a local datum that was defined by a stable cluster of sites on one side of the fault and the horizontal velocity field shows deformations of up to 4.5 mm/yr dextral. In combination with an S-transformation the site velocities were used to estimate the parameters of a dislocation model based on elastic half space theory. We compare the results with expectations from slip rate analysis of seismicity parameters. In addition the resulting fault slip field is used to derive a fault-related velocity field.

► We observed and analysed recent crustal movements along the Carmel Fault, Israel, by means of GPS. ► We found a dextral displacement along the fault of up to 4.5 mm/yr with respect to a regional datum. ► Inversion of the GPS-derived velocity field parameters and slip values at the fault are comparable with that one from other investigations. ► Derived strain rates show maxima close to the position of the last earthquake in April 2010.