Abstract This study presents the assessment of contemporary ground deformation in the Karamay Oilfield, China, using integration of remote sensing measurements with geotechnical modeling. The Sentinel‑1 InSAR measurements from 2017 to 2025 show several uplift and subsidence in the period between 2017 and 2018 with rates reaching ~118 mm/yr. and −38 mm/yr. This is followed by a strong decline in deformation magnitude, reflected in an ~80% reduction in peak uplift and ~50% reduction in peak subsidence in 2025 indicating progressive reservoir pressure equilibration. 3D surface motion was recovered by combining ascending and descending line-of-sight velocities with a tilt-based method used to estimate the north–south component from spatial gradients of the vertical deformation obtained between 2017 and 2018. The resulting mean deformation field reveals dominant vertical uplift and secondary horizontal divergence consistent with reservoir inflation. Geomechanical modeling was performed using the ascending line-of-sight (LOS) deformation during the 2017–2018 uplift phase to estimate reservoir geometry, and these parameters were then fixed to evaluate temporal pressure variations in subsequent periods. The results indicate strong reservoir pressurization during 2017–2018, reduced pressurization in 2019–2020, and a transition to pressure depletion and elastic compaction during 2020–2025, consistent with the observed LOS time series. These findings enhance understanding of the long-term mechanical response of the Karamay reservoir and demonstrate the value of multi-geometry InSAR and tilt-based 3‑D reconstruction for monitoring oilfield deformation.
Uyo et al. (Wed,) studied this question.