Coseismic, Aftershock, and Early Postseismic Deformation During the 2024 Mw 7.0 Wushi Earthquake Sequence, Xinjiang Province, China

Abstract In contrast to strong orogenic uplift at the forefront of the Tian Shan belt, the tectonic deformation in its interior is low‐rate, and how it is accommodated remains poorly understood. As the first instrumentally documented earthquake in the Wushi Sag, the 2024 Mw 7.0 Wushi earthquake sequence on the Maidan Fault (MDF) provides a unique opportunity to investigate tectonic structures and their implications in the southern Tian Shan interior. We use InSAR to constrain slip models for the mainshock, the largest aftershock (Mw 5.6), and early postseismic process. The mainshock on the MDF is dominated by sinistral strike‐slip and reverse‐slip motion occurring at depth of 3.6–23 km. After removing the displacements caused by the Mw 5.6 aftershock, we model residual displacements as early postseismic slip, and our results imply it suggest that the slip is shallow and complementary to the coseismic slip. Together with interseismic GNSS measurements and paleoearthquake data, our results show that the Wushi Sag is a tectonically active region with a low strain rate. The potential seismic hazard is characterized by a step‐over rupture behavior.