A GPS Based Estimate of the Rotation of the Mariana Plate in both ITRF2008 and ITRF2014

This paper represents the results of using GPS data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Geodetic Survey (NGS), to determine the rotational behavior of the Mariana Plate within an absolute frame (ITRF2008). The data come from two sources. The first were campaign surveys conducted by NGS, and the second were data from four continuously operating GNSS reference stations (CORSs) within the NOAA CORS Network (NCN). The goal was to find Euler pole parameters (EPPs) for the Mariana plate: the location of the Euler pole, and the rotational speed of the plate about that pole. The data used span 20 years and cover 9 islands, representing the largest GPS-data driven resolution of the tectonic rotation of this plate. Once the EPPs were determined, they were compared with previous relative and absolute estimates, as well as against independent geophysical data as a method of verifying the newly determined rotational behavior.