This research will do a systematic, global study of seismic deformation at convergent plate boundaries within the framework of plate tectonics. The patterns of seismic deformation observed at convergent plate boundaries are often not in accord with plate tectonic theory in its simplest form. The work will make use of catalogs and compilations of earthquake focal mechanisms as well as geological data regarding rates of late Quaternary fault offsets. The goal of the proposed work is to develop a global survey or map of seismic (instantaneous) deformation at and in the vicinity of plate margins, which can be compared with plate tectonic model predictions and, hopefully, in the near future, large numbers of geodetic measurements that will become available as space-based geodetic (GPS and VLBI) surveys progress. This research is a component of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program.
