9633534 Nabelek On February 17, 1996, a great earthquake M=8.2 occurred along the northwestern coast of Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Initial reports show wide-spread destruction of the coastal communities resulting from strong shaking and a large tsunami. This research, in cooperation with Indonesian scientists, will take advantage of an extraordinary opportunity to use advanced prrtable seismic instrumentation and space-based geodesy to study the distortion due to the event, including a rare opportunity to measure co-seismic slip distribution during a great subduction earthquake. It is also and opportunity to study the interaction of parallel thrust and strike- slip faults that display slip partitioning during the earthquake sequence. This part of the subduction fault was considered to be largely inactive based on past seismicity, seismic reflection profiles of the New Guinea trench, and recent geodetic measurements. The grant will support operation of a temporary seismograph network on the hanging wall of the thrust to map the fault with aftershocks, and measurement of the static uplift of the coastal areas by measuring coseismic sea level changes. Reoccupation of the geodetic GPS site established in the area from previous grants will be supported there. This research is funded under the Small Grants for Exploratory Research Program and is a component of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program.
