Rupture history of the 2009 L'Aquila (Italy) earthquake from non‐linear joint inversion of strong motion and GPS data

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Abstract
We image the rupture history of the 2009 L'Aquila (central Italy) earthquake using a nonlinear joint inversion of strong motion and GPS data. This earthquake ruptured a normal fault striking along the Apennines axis and dipping to the SW. The inferred slip distribution is heterogeneous and characterized by a small, shallow slip patch located up‐dip from the hypocenter (9.5 km depth) and a large, deeper patch located southeastward. The rupture velocity is larger in the up‐dip than in the along‐strike direction. This difference can be partially accounted by the crustal structure, which is characterized by a high velocity layer above the hypocenter and a lower velocity below. The latter velocity seems to have affected the along strike propagation since the largest slip patch is located at depths between 9 and 14 km. The imaged slip distribution correlates well with the on‐fault aftershock pattern as well as with mapped surface breakages.