Coseismic and postseismic deformation due to the 2007 M 5.5 Ghazaband fault earthquake, Balochistan, Pakistan

Time series analysis of interferometric synthetic aperture radar data reveals coseismic and postseismic surface displacements associated with the 2007 M 5.5 earthquake along the southern Ghazaband fault, a major but little studied fault in Pakistan. Modeling indicates that the coseismic surface deformation was caused by ~9 cm of strike‐slip displacement along a shallow subvertical fault. The earthquake was followed by at least 1 year of afterslip, releasing ~70% of the moment of the main event, equivalent to a M 5.4 earthquake. This high aseismic relative to the seismic moment release is consistent with previous observations for moderate earthquakes ( M  < 6) and suggests that smaller earthquakes are associated with a higher aseismic relative to seismic moment release than larger earthquakes.