The 2018 M _w 7.5 Highlands Earthquake in Papua New Guinea: Implications for Structural Style in an Active Fold and Thrust Belt

The Papuan Fold and Thrust Belt (PFTB) in Papua New Guinea is actively forming within a complex tectonic setting at the boundary of obliquely converging Australian Pacific plates. inaccessibility PFTB make it one least well-understood fold thrust belts on Earth. On February 25, 2018, Mw 7.5 earthquake occurred PFTB, triggering an aftershock sequence which included five events ≥Mw 6. In this study, we combine seismological, GPS remote sensing observations to investigate spatiotemporal distribution crustal deformation during these events. All earthquakes 6 were related reverse offset northeast-dipping fault planes out six, including mainshock, associated with midcrustal focal depths (∼15–30 km). During sequence, underwent up 1.2 m uplift ground over 7,500 km2. Combining our geological knowledge convergent margin highlights primary control northern passive structural style. We propose that was inversion hidden extensional system beneath lateral variations along zone had significant influence deformation. It follows has important evolution variable styles PFTB. This study complexity can characterize style belts.