Linkage between reactivation of the sinistral strike-slip faults and 28 September 2018 Mw7.5 Palu earthquake, Indonesia

On September 28, 2018, a Mw7.5 earthquake occurred near Sulawesi, Indonesia as a result of strike-slip faulting at shallow depth within the interior of the Molucca Sea Microplate that forms a part of the broader Sunda Plate. Focal mechanism solutions and distribution for the earthquakes indicate rupture occurred on a left-lateral NNW-SSE- to N-S-striking fault. This region has been characterized by complex tectonics in which motions of numerous small microplates are accommodating large-scale convergence between the Australia, Sunda, Pacific and Philippine Sea plates. In this paper, the Coulomb stress calculation verified the WNW-, nearly E-W-trending sinistral strike slip receiver fault in Sulawesi, which is consistent with the giant sinisterly strike-slip fault system across New Guinea, Pacific Tectonic System and the Tethys Tectonic System caused by the oblique convergence. The result has been reconciled within the modern GPS velocity field.