Aseismic fold growth in southwestern Taiwan detected by InSAR and GNSS

Abstract We report very rapid and aseismic fold growth detected by L-band InSAR images and GNSS data in southwestern Taiwan where is characterized by high convergence rate and low seismicity. Six independent interferograms acquired from ascending orbit during 2007–2011 commonly indicate large line-of-sight (LOS) shortening. For descending orbit, one interferogram spanning 21 months also indicates the LOS shortening at the same location. After removing long-wavelength noise and height-dependent phase component from these interferograms using GNSS velocity field and DEM, we obtained the quasi-vertical and the quasi-east velocity fields. We found very rapid uplift (quasi-vertical movement) in the fold and thrust belt to the east of the Tainan city. The uplifted area stretches about 25 km in the N–S direction and about 5 km in the E–W direction. At the southern part of the uplifted area, the uplift rate obtained by InSAR is consistent with that measured by the leveling survey, which takes 18 mm/year at a maximum. On the other hand, at the northern part, the maximum uplift rate detected by InSAR reaches up to 37 mm/year, more than twice as large as the rate along the levelling route. Judging from very low seismicity in this region, the severe crustal deformation we detected with InSAR is aseismic. At the eastern flank of the uplifted area, we found a sharp discontinuity in the uplift rate from the ALOS/PALSAR interferometry, and a sharp discontinuity in the amount of uplift in response to the 2016 Meinong earthquake (M6.4) from ALOS-2/PALSAR2 interferometry, which implies the existence of a shallow active fault. The stable slip of this active fault would be due to the high pore fluid pressure reported in this region. The aseismic uplift before the Meinong earthquake would be mainly due to the mud diapirs at the depth, which is perturbed by the aseismic movement of the shallow active fault