Detection of creep along the Philippine Fault: First results of geodetic measurements on Leyte Island, central Philippine

Geodetic trilateration/GPS measurements were acquired from experiments conducted in 1991 and 1993 in the central part of the Philippine Fault on Leyte island. Displacement vectors deduced from two least squares adjustments indicate a mean slip rate of 26±10 mm/yr at an azimuth of about N130°E. These values are consistent with the tectonic and kinematic data. Our results indicate that the displacements are: (1) almost parallel to the Philippine Fault, and (2) related to creep along the fault, because no moderate seismic events occurred between the two observation epochs.