Aftershock-induced surface ruptures overshadow the 2024 Mw 7.0 Wushi mainshock, China

Abstract Large, shallow earthquakes typically produce surface ruptures, whereas aftershocks rarely do. Here, we document a rare case in which the 2024 Mw 7.0 Wushi earthquake (western China) did not rupture the surface, but a Mw 5.7 aftershock did. Integrated field observations, satellite imagery, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, and relocated seismicity reveal that the aftershock reactivated shallow back- and fore-thrusts, forming a pop-up structure with clear surface breaks. This event demonstrates that aftershocks can generate significant surface deformation by reactivating pre-existing shallow faults—a process not commonly accounted for in seismic hazard assessments. Our findings emphasize the need to incorporate secondary shallow faults into hazard models, especially in complex fold-and-thrust systems.

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Publication Details

Journal
Geology
Published
2025-11-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1130/g54078.1
Citations
3
Primary Topic
earthquake and tectonic studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.60

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article

Aftershock-induced surface ruptures overshadow the 2024 Mw 7.0 Wushi mainshock, China

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Geology
earthquake and tectonic studies
5.60
article

Aftershock-induced surface ruptures overshadow the 2024 Mw 7.0 Wushi mainshock, China

Qiong Wu, Yihu Zhang, Marie‐Luce Chevalier, Fucai Liu, Xiaohui He, Shenqiang Chen, Jiawei Pan, Lihua Fang, Dongliang Liu, Teng Wang, Long Zhang, Haibing Li, Xunzhang Zhu, Shiguang Wang, Heng Luo, Chunrui Li
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Abstract Large, shallow earthquakes typically produce surface ruptures, whereas aftershocks rarely do. Here, we document a rare case in which the 2024 Mw 7.0 Wushi earthquake (western China) did not rupture the surface, but a Mw 5.7 aftershock did. Integrated field observations, satellite imagery, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, and relocated seismicity reveal that the aftershock reactivated shallow back- and fore-thrusts, forming a pop-up structure with clear surface breaks. This event demonstrates that aftershocks can generate significant surface deformation by reactivating pre-existing shallow faults—a process not commonly accounted for in seismic hazard assessments. Our findings emphasize the need to incorporate secondary shallow faults into hazard models, especially in complex fold-and-thrust systems.

GeologyVol. 54(2)
Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Peking University (CN), Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CN), China Earthquake Administration (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Geological Survey
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
earthquake and tectonic studies
5.60
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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