High-Resolution Co-seismic Surface Displacement Distribution for February 6, 2023, Elbistan (Kahramanmaras) Earthquake, Turkiye

This study investigates the second event of an earthquake doublet that struck Türkiye with magnitudes Mw 7.7 and Mw 7.6, on February 6, 2023. While space-based geodetic and remote sensing studies have provided information on surface rupture and slip distribution, field-based data on coseismic deformation, slip distribution, and fault sections are lacking. We generated high-resolution (10 cm) low-altitude UAV imagery to address this gap and created a continuous 300-m-wide strip map along the entire surface rupture length. Our mapping reveals a primarily sinistral rupture length of approximately 143 km between Göksun and Gözene, with previously unrecognized faults at the westernmost 4.5 km and easternmost 20 km. The rupture is divided into six major sections: Göksun, Ericek, Ekinözü, Barış, Nurhak Fault Complexity, Kullar, and Gözene. The width of the deformation zone varies from a few meters to 1.5 km along these sections, with narrower and more localized zones in the Göksun, Ekinözü, and Barış sections, and wider zones in the Ericek Section and the Nurhak Fault Complexity Section. Our analysis of 553 coseismic displacements (including 55 off-fault and 4 right-lateral) reveals maximum slips of 10.58 ± 0.3 m in the Ekinözü section. The average moving means coseismic displacement is 4.08±0.73 m, with a spatial distribution showing long-wave variability separated by a large restraining stepover at the Nurhak Fault Complexity. These findings provide crucial insights into the coseismic deformation and slip distribution of the second earthquake, enhancing our understanding of the rupture mechanics and contributing valuable field-based data for seismic hazard assessment in the region