It has been assumed that Himalayan earthquakes are driven by the release of compressional strain accumulating close to the Greater Himalaya. However, elastic models of the Indo-Asian collision using recently imaged subsurface interface geometries suggest that a substantial fraction of the southernmost 500 kilometres of the Tibetan plateau participates in driving great ruptures. We show here that this Tibetan reservoir of elastic strain energy is drained in proportion to Himalayan rupture length, and that the consequent growth of slip and magnitude with rupture area, when compared to data from recent earthquakes, can be used to infer a approximately 500-year renewal time for these events. The elastic models also illuminate two puzzling features of plate boundary seismicity: how great earthquakes can re-rupture regions that have already ruptured in recent smaller earthquakes and how mega-earthquakes with greater than 20 metres slip may occur at millennia-long intervals, driven by residual strain following many centuries of smaller earthquakes.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature05199 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Whether the Main Himalayan Thrust can host a single surface-rupturing event in the Himalaya with a rupture length of > 700 km remains controversial. Previous paleoseismological studies in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya (DSH) suggested medieval surface-rupturing earthquakes, correlating them with the eleventh-thirteenth century events from Nepal and Bhutan and extending the coseismic rupture length > 700 km. Conversely, there is no rupture evidence of the 1714 Bhutan and 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquakes in the DSH, resulting in a discrepancy in the rupture extent of the great earthquakes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUttarakhand State Earthquake Early Warning System: A Case Study of the Himalayan Environment.
Sensors (Basel)
May 2024
Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India.
The increased seismic activity observed in the Himalayas, coupled with the expanding urbanization of the surrounding areas in northern India, poses significant risks to both human lives and property. Developing an earthquake early warning system in the region could help in alleviating these risks, especially benefiting cities and towns in mountainous and foothill regions close to potential earthquake epicenters. To address this concern, the government and the science and engineering community collaborated to establish the Uttarakhand State Earthquake Early Warning System (UEEWS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCascading hazards of a major Bengal basin earthquake and abrupt avulsion of the Ganges River.
Nat Commun
June 2024
Department of Environment & Biodiversity, Geology and Physical Geography, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Earthquakes present severe hazards for people and economies and can be primary drivers of landscape change yet their impact to river-channel networks remains poorly known. Here we show evidence for an abrupt earthquake-triggered avulsion of the Ganges River at ~2.5 ka leading to relocation of the mainstem channel belt in the Bengal delta.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIdentification of Major Threats of Climate Change, Hazards, and Anthropogenic Activities on Biodiversity Conservation in the Buxa Tiger Reserve, India.
Environ Manage
May 2024
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721302, India.
The Himalayan forests are facing a range of threats, which are making conservation efforts challenging. Using a mixed-method approach, this study investigated the threats to biodiversity conservation in Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR), a fragile ecosystem in the Eastern Himalayan foothills. The study found that between 1990 and 2021, BTR experienced rising summer temperatures and decreasing annual precipitation, contributing to forest dryness, water scarcity, and forest fires.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnalyzing Joshimath's sinking: causes, consequences, and future prospects with remote sensing techniques.
Sci Rep
May 2024
Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India.
The Himalayas are highly susceptible to various natural disasters, such as the tectonically induced land deformation, earthquakes, landslides, and extreme climatic events. Recently, the Joshimath town witnessed a significantly large land subsidence activity. The phenomenon resulted in the development of large cracks in roads and in over 868 civil structures, posing a significant risk to inhabitants and infrastructure of the area.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!