A method and system for measuring strain rate at a scale shorter than gauge length are disclosed. The method includes deploying a plurality of discrete seismic receivers and a distributed acoustic system (DAS) in a borehole extending into a formation. The method further includes obtaining a first DAS measurement (DAS1) between a first position and a second position, obtaining a second DAS measurement (DAS2) between a third position and a fourth position, and obtaining a discrete seismic receiver measurement between the second position and the fourth position. The method further includes determining an DAS equivalent discrete measurement (DASeq) from the discrete seismic receiver measurement, determining a sub-gauge DAS measurement (DASsg) based, at least in part, on the first DAS measurement, the second DAS measurement and the DAS equivalent discrete measurement, and determining mechanical characteristics of the formation based, at least in part, on the sub-gauge DAS measurement.