Earthquakes produce a spectrum of elastic and inelastic deformation processes that are reflected across various length and time scales. While elasticity has long dominated research assumptions in active tectonics, increasing interest has focused on the inelastic characteristics of earthquakes, particularly those of the surface fault rupture zone itself, and how they relate to ground rupture hazard and the mechanics of damage zones. Here we present detailed co-seismic surface-strain analysis of the 2019 Ridgecrest, California, earthquakes. We derive three-dimensional high-resolution surface displacements from satellite optical imagery, which we then invert for the co-seismic surface-strain tensors. We show that fault-zone dilation is pervasive throughout these earthquakes and that inelastic failure is present but relatively localized (median width of 31 m). The width of the inelastic failure zone is not correlated to off-fault deformation, surface geology or displacement magnitude. Instead, the extent and kinematics of inelastic failure reflect active, mylonitic deformation of the fault damage zone that is influenced by rupture velocity and fault maturity. These results highlight how a single earthquake contributes to the long-term, permanent geologic record of faulting.

地震产生了一系列的弹性和非弹性变形过程，这些过程反映在各种长度和时间尺度上。尽管弹性长期以来一直是活跃构造研究的主要假设，但人们对地震的非弹性特征，尤其是表面断层破裂带本身的非弹性特征，以及它们与地面破裂危险性和破坏区力学之间的关系的关注日益增加。在这里，我们展示了对2019年加利福尼亚州里奇克莱斯特地震的详细同震表面应变分析。我们从卫星光学影像中获得三维高分辨率表面位移，然后将其反演为同震表面应变张量。我们表明，在这些地震中，断层带扩张无处不在，存在非弹性破坏，但相对局限（中值宽度为31 m）。非弹性破坏带的宽度与断层变形，地表地质或位移大小无关。取而代之的是，非弹性破坏的程度和运动学反映了断裂破坏带的活跃的，似髓的变形，该变形受断裂速度和断裂成熟度的影响。这些结果突显了一次地震是如何促成长期的，永久的断层地质记录的。受断裂速度和断裂成熟度影响的断裂破坏带的典型变形。这些结果突显了一次地震是如何促成长期的，永久的断层地质记录的。受断裂速度和断裂成熟度影响的断裂破坏带的典型变形。这些结果突显了一次地震是如何促成长期的，永久的断层地质记录的。