August 2016 M 6.2 Amatrice earthquake fault slip at depth and landslides above

What is it about?

We used data from radar satellites to measure how much the ground moved during the August 2016 magnitude 6.2 earthquake in the mountains central Italy that caused major damage in Amatrice and other towns. The measurements from the European Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency ALOS-2 satellites provide a detailed map of the ground motion and we used the measurements to locate where the fault moved at depths of 3 to 6 km beneath the surface. We also found that two large landslide blocks moved near the surface, including one near the surface trace of the previously mapped Monte Vettore Fault. This landslide motion near the fault could be confused with fault slip so the radar mapping allowed us to determine that it was not fault motion in this earthquake.

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Why is it important?

The large landslide motion near the fault could be confused with fault slip by geologists working in the field. The radar mapping allowed us to determine that the fault motion during this earthquake did not reach the surface. This is important for understanding how faults mapped at the surface related to the slip at depth that causes strong earthquake shaking.