Aseismic Slip Along the Evaporite-Rich Strike-Slip Katouna-Stamna Fault in Greece

Kurzfassung

The reason why some crustal faults creep slowly without causing earthquakes is not fully understood. We use time series of radar satellite imagery that monitor crustal motion with millimeter‐precision and show that the Katouna Stamna Fault in Western Greece creeps with up to 19 mm/yr. Numerical simulations confirm that the south‐central part of the fault moves sideways, while the northern part shows downward motion, leading to crustal extension. Signs of past movement (called striae) indicate that, over time, the direction of movement has changed. One side of the fault consists of certain soft rocks (such as gypsum) that deform in a slow and flowing way. We suggest that creep could be facilitated here by fluids in the crust.