The Betic-Rif cordilleras are build-up in the western Mediterranean by the deformations related to the Eurasian-African plate boundary. The recent NW-SE convergence produces the simultaneous development of large folds and faults in the central part of the Internal Zones of the Betic Cordilleras, which continues active up to Present. The uplift of the mountain ranges is mainly related to the development of folds in this regional compressive setting. Sierra Tejeda constitutes a relief related to the development of a complex shaped recent antiform that is located near the coast line. At the northern limb of Sierra Tejeda is located the Zafarraya fault, a high-angle northwards dipping normal fault. Understanding the tectonic of the Zafarraya fault is crucial since one of the most destructive earthquakes (25th December 1884) on the Iberian Peninsula occurred along this fault (magnitude of 6.7). This paper investigates the applicability of satellite radar interferometry using ERS-1/2 SAR and Envisat ASAR datasets to help to constraint the geological hazard in this part of the Betic Cordillera.@en

Differential SAR interferometry (DInSAR) is a very effective technique for measuring crustal deformation. However, almost all interferograms include large areas where the signals decorrelate and no measurements are possible. Persistent scatterer interferometry (PS-InSAR) overcomes the decorrelation problem by identifying resolution elements whose echo is dominated by a single scatterer in a series of interferograms. Two time series of 29 ERS-1/2 and 22 ENVISAT ASAR acquisitions of the Granada basin, located in the central sector of the Betic Cordillera (southern Spain), covering the period from 1992 to 2005, were analyzed. Rough topography of the study area associated to its moderate activity geodynamic setting, including faults and folds in an uplifting relief by the oblique Eurasian-African plate convergence, poses a challenge for the application of interferometric techniques. The expected tectonic deformation rates are in the order of ∼1 mm/yr, which are at the feasibility limit of current InSAR techniques. In order to evaluate whether, under these conditions, InSAR techniques can still be used to monitor deformations we have applied and compared two PS-InSAR approaches: DePSI, the PS-InSAR package developed at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and StaMPS (Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers) developed at Stanford University. Ground motion processes have been identified for the first time in the study area, the most significant process being a subsidence bowl located at the village of Otura. The idea behind this comparative study is to analyze which of the two PS-InSAR approaches considered might be more appropriate for the study of specific areas/environments and to attempt to evaluate the potentialities and benefits that could be derived for the integration of those methodologies. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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