Strain and stress field in Taiwan oblique convergent system: 
                     constraints from GPS observation and tectonic data

                                                 Shih-Chi Ho

                                            Abstract

            The island of Taiwan is a product of the oblique collision between the Luzon arc
          and the Chinese continental margin. The deformations in Taiwan convergent system
          have been largely studied based on a variety of geological and geophysical
          observations. In this paper, we focuses on the stress and strain rate field of the Taiwan
          area. We used the GPS survey data from 1990 to 1995 to calculate the strain field in
          the Taiwan area. Notes that the data do not include the coseismic deformation related
          to major earthquakes of Taiwan like Chi-Chi earthquake, and this may reflect the
          major long-term tectonics of Taiwan. We then compare the strain rate field with the
          stress information provided by studies of borehole breakouts and earthquake focal
          mechanisms, and fault slip data. In the first approximation, the stress and strain rate
          fields show spatial similarity. The orientation of principal shortening is generally
          consistent with the compressive stress orientation that reflect the oblique collision
          direction. In more detail, significant anomalies in the deformation pattern deserve
          consideration in that they may reveal ongoing stress accumulation. Despite the
          short-term variations related to the earthquake cycle, some major features of the strain
          rate field highlight the long term tectonic behavior of the mountain belt at 
          the lithosphere scale. 

                                            Reference

          Hu, J. C., Angelier, J., Yu, S. B., 1997, An interpretation of the active deformation of
          southern Taiwan based on numerical simulation and GPS studies, Tectonophysics, 274, 145-169

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          Yu, S. B., Chen, H. Y., Kao, L. C., 1997, Velocity field of GPS stations in the Taiwan 
          area, Tectonophysics, 274, 41-59

                                             (Abstract)(Full text)