Tectonic deformation buildup in folded mountain terrains in the October 23, 2004, Mid-Niigata earthquake

The October 23, 2004, Mid-Niigata Earthquake jolted central Japan, causing serious damage in a mountainous region of Pliocene sedimentary rocks. Though aftershocks distribution showed a diffused pattern, it indicated that a blind-thrust fault having a NE–SW strike and inclined towards NW was the most causative. Tectonic deformation caused by this faulting was considered to be one of the causes of flooding that occurred about 8 months after the earthquake. Precise digital elevation models (DEMs) before and after the earthquake were obtained with stereoscopy for aerial photographs and laser imaging detection and ranging technology (LIDAR), respectively, and then compared to detect elevation changes and translations. Lastly, the changes of landforms due to landslides are excluded from the estimated deformations to obtain only the components of tectonic deformations of the ground surface.