Abstract
The Enriquillo–Plantain Garden fault zone (EPGFZ) is a major left-lateral strike-slip fault in southern Haiti hosting several recent destructive earthquakes, including the 2021 MW 7.1 Nippes event with primary thrust-slip. To investigate how strain is accommodated in the vicinity of the 2021 event, we analyzed Sentinel-1 interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data from 2017 to 2021 using a PS + DS (persistent + distributed scatterers) InSAR time-series approach to overcome decorrelation in this highly vegetated region. We reveal interseismic creep along the EPGF and adjacent Grand'Anse–Sud border faults, with pure strike-slip mechanism and rates up to 9 mm/yr. We suggest that the EPGF accommodates left-lateral plate-motion aseismically in this area, while thrust earthquakes accommodate regional convergence and occur on secondary faults. This suggests the lack of large strike-slip earthquakes, with thrust earthquakes as the dominant style in southern Haiti.
Recommended Citation
R. Dutta et al., "Interseismic Creep Along the Enriquillo–Plantain Garden Fault, Haiti, Estimated from InSAR," Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 53, no. 11, article no. e2025GL119670, Wiley; American Geophysical Union, Jun 2026.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL119670
Department(s)
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Publication Status
Open Access
Keywords and Phrases
deformation; earthquakes; fault creep; Haiti; InSAR; tectonics
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
1944-8007; 0094-8276
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 Wiley; American Geophysical Union, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publication Date
16 Jun 2026
