Coseismic Shallow Slip Deficit Accounted for by Diffuse Off‐Fault Deformation

Abstract Earthquake ruptures produce fault slip and kilometer‐wide diffuse deformation of the host rocks. However, the origin of the diffuse deformation and its role in the rupture process are debated. We produce a refined slip model for the 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquakes, and analyze the relations between down‐dip rupture process, and surface diffuse deformation. We show that the decrease in coseismic slip toward the ground surface, also known as shallow slip deficit (SSD), correlates with the occurrence of diffuse deformation at the surface, which is not accounted for by models assuming elastic host rocks. Hence, we suggest that a significant part of the SSD in earthquake source models could be interpreted as a proxy for shallow diffuse inelastic deformation around faults. Revisiting earthquake source models for 28 continental earthquakes, we discuss the controlling parameters of the SSD and diffuse deformation, and propose a conceptual model of the near‐field coseismic surface deformation.