Slip distribution of the 2003 Boumerdes-Zemmouri earthquake, Algeria, from teleseismic, GPS, and coastal uplift data

Using a joint inversion of seismological waveforms and ground displacement observations, we estimate several parameters of the fault geometry and rupture process of the Mw = 6.9 May 21, 2003 Boumerdes-Zemmouri earthquake. The relocated epicenter is considered as a known parameter. Total rupture length, rupture duration, and maximum slip are 55 km (from 3.4°E to 4.0°E), 12 s, and 3 m. The modeled south dipping reverse fault, oriented ENE-WSW outcrops a few km offshore which is consistent with the absence of observed surface rupture inland. Two shallow and relatively localized slip zones are found, on both sides of the hypocenter. To the SW, between Boumerdes and Zemmouri, slip is concentrated between 11 and 2 km depth. To the NE, between Zemmouri and Dellys, slip is concentrated between 6 km depth and the sea floor. Various resolution tests indicate that our model is well constrained by the available data, and help understanding which data constrains each parameter of the model. Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.