Strain field inferred from Key Stone VLBI network

Masato Furuya, Koichi Sebata, Jun Amagai, Taizoh Yoshino, Mamoru Sekido, Yasuhiro Koyama, Tetsuro Kondo
(Communications Research Laboratory, Japan)

Using the KSP VLBI network, we are routinely monitoring a crustal deformation around south Kanto area, Japan. Though all the stations lie in the same plate, we could observe a significant crustal deformation. In particular, the two baseline lengths, Koganei-Miura and Koganei-Tateyama, show a remarkable decrease: -12mm/yr and -16mm/yr, respectively. Moreover, the strain analysis of the triangle formed by Koganei, Kashima and Tateyama indicate a compression whose principal strain rate is 0.17 microstrain/yr along the axis almost toward north-south direction. Similar amplitude and direction are independently reported by Kato et al.(1998), whose estimate is based upon GSI's nation-wide GPS array. The direction of the principal compression axis is, however, counter-intuitive, on account of the velocity of Philippine Sea plate relative to North-American plate. Geophysical interpretation is going to be presented.