Here we examine 31 glaciers in the West Kunlun Shan of the northwestern Tibetan Plateau and identify 9 as surge type. The method is based on satellite synthetic aperture radar and Landsat optical images, the former going back to 1992, the latter to 1972. To identify surge‐type glaciers, we consider temporal changes in velocity, changes in glacier terminus position, propagation of a surge bulge, presence of looped and/or contoured medial moraines, and extensive crevassing. Other than the nine surge‐type glaciers, we identify two that have likely surged, and six that may be surge type. But no glacier surges more than once during the observation period, meaning that the recurrence interval exceeds 42 years. In addition, we examine the evolution of the surface velocities at two surging glaciers with the unprecedented temporal resolution of down to 11 days over ∼7 years. The results show clear seasonal modulations by as much as ∼200% in early winter against those in early summer. This seasonal modulation in surface velocity suggests the presence of surface meltwater that reroutes through the englacial and subglacial drainage systems. Thus, our findings suggest that the hydrological processes originating in the surface meltwater play an important role in maintaining the yearlong active surging phase.

Summary. The period P and Q-value of the Chandler wobble are two fundamental functional of the Earth's internal physical properties and global geodynamics. We

Series of earthquakes including three M w > 6 earthquakes occurred in Kumamoto prefecture in the middle of the Kyushu island, Japan. In order to reveal the associated crustal deformation signals, we applied offset tracking technique to ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 data covering three M w > 6 earthquakes and derived the 3D displacements around the epicenters. We could identify three NE–SW trending displacement discontinuities in the 3D displacements that were consistent with the surface location of Futagawa and Hinagu fault system. We set three-segment fault model whose positions matched the displacement discontinuities, and estimated the slip distributions on each segment from the observed pixel-offset data. Whereas right-lateral slip was dominant in the shallower depth of the larger segments, normal fault slip was more significant at a greater depth of the other segment. The inferred configuration and slip distribution of each segment suggest that slip partitioning under oblique extension stress regime took place during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence. Moreover, given the consistent focal mechanisms derived from both the slip distribution model and seismology, the significant non-double couple components in the focal mechanism of the main shock are due to simultaneous ruptures of both strike-slip and normal faulting at the distinct segments. Graphical abstract Using ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 pixel-offset data, Himematsu and Furuya (2016) derived 3D displacements associated with the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence. The 3D displacements revealed three major discontinuities, where we set the top edge of the three segments of our fault source model. The inferred slip distribution indicates that significant strike-slip and normal fault slip occurred separately at distinct segments. Moreover, the non-double couple parameter based on our slip distribution model turns out to be consistent with the seismological estimate, suggesting that dynamic slip partitioning occurred during the main shock.