Present crustal deformation characteristics from GPS and seismic activities in Xinjiang region

Based on the velocity analysis of GPS regional sites in Xinjiang region during 1999—2007 and 2009—2011, the horizontal movement characteristics of the sites are obviously partitioned by the longitude 85°E and latitude 43°N. Since June of 2011, earthquakes become frequent and strong in the region. Analyzing the horizontal motion velocity characteristics, this paper studies the baseline time series from 20 continuous GPS stations during January of 2011 through March of 2012. The results show that the baseline variations of those stations have become larger from April of 2011, and further show the crustal movement of the Xinjiang has become stronger at the same time. However, in mountains and basins, the trends of baseline changes are different. The trends are relatively small in Tarim and Junggar basins. Whereas, in the central and southern Tianshan, crustal deformation changes prominently and crust shortens sharply due to the north-south compression.