Coseismic surface deformation and fault model of the 27 May 2017 Mw 5.2 Saruhanlı-Manisa (western Turkey) earthquake from InSAR

The shortened revisit times and accurate orbits of the new generation of radar satellites like Sentinel-1 improved the applicability of the synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) technique to investigate more moderate size events. Here the technique is used to characterize the 27 May 2017 Mw 5.2 Saruhanlı (Manisa) earthquake that took place in western Turkey in the Gediz Graben. Though seismological focal mechanism solutions of the earthquake clearly indicated that the event is due to normal faulting, the nodal plane ambiguity and the presence of two closely located faults in the epicentral region prevented the assessment of the causative fault. Data from the Sentinel-1 radar satellites and subsequent modeling indicate that a 9-km-long, NE-dipping fault had ruptured during the earthquake with the shallow rupture coinciding with the Ozanca Fault in the region.