Source Characteristics of the 2020 Mw 7.4 Oaxaca, Mexico, Earthquake Estimated from GPS, InSAR, and Teleseismic Waveforms

Abstract On 23 June 2020, an Mw 7.4 earthquake struck offshore Oaxaca, Mexico, providing a unique opportunity to understand the seismogenic tectonics of the Mexican subduction zone. In this study, near-field coseismic deformation caused by the event was retrieved from Global Positioning System (GPS) observations and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) measurements. Given static geodetic measurements, high-rate GPS waveforms, and teleseismic waveforms, the fault geometry and rupture process for the 2020 Oaxaca earthquake were robustly determined by nonlinear joint inversions. The main slip was located at a depth of 20–30 km with a peak slip of 3.4 m near the epicenter. The total released moment was 1.70×1020 N·m, corresponding to Mw 7.4. The whole rupture process lasted 14 s, with the dominant rupture slip occurring 5–8 s after initial rupture. The mainshock rupture mostly occurred along the fault strike, covering a size of ∼55 km(along strike)×∼35 km(along dip) and totally overlapping with the 1965 Mw 7.5 rupture zone. We speculate that this 2020 earthquake is a repeat event following that in 1965. Fluid percolation under the slab may be one of the key factors affecting the seismogenic depth in the Oaxaca region.