Crustal deformation in the southcentral Alaska subduction zone

The study of crustal deformation in the subduction zone of the 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska earthquake reveals a temporally and spatially complex pattern of surface motions and interplate coupling. This temporal-spatial pattern provides fundamental information on the elastic and inelastic processes associated with strain energy accumulation and release in the seismic cycle and development of geological structures in southcentral Alaska. Essential data on the crustal deformation comes from seismological, geological and geodetic observations. The most salient observed features are: (1) large along-strike variations in both the coseismic moment release and the postseismic and interseismic surface deformation and (2) a complicated history of postseismic and interseismic deformation characterized by both steady-state deformation and transient motion occurring over several time scales and involving different deformation mechanisms. Numerical models give insight into the relationship between the observed crustal motions and tectonic plate motion, fault zone processes, and the Earth's rheology.