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No evidence for shallow shear motion on the Mat Fault, a prominent strike slip fault in the Indo-Burmese wedge

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Abstract

The motion between India and Sunda plates is accommodated along the Churachandpur Mao Fault (CMF) in the Indo-Burmese Wedge (IBW) and Sagaing Fault in the Myanmar region. Within the IBW, the Mat Fault is the most prominent transverse structure with prominent topographic and geomorphic expressions. We undertook Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements across this fault to investigate the current deformation across it. Modelling of these observations using locking depth of up to 4 km yields no resolvable slip (dextral slip rate as 0 ±5 mm/year) across the fault. Due to limited spatial extent of the GPS measurements, it is not possible to comment on the status of deeper slip, if any.

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Acknowledgements

Authors thank Nibir Mandal, Associate Editor, Roger Bilham and two anonymous reviewers for their very constructive and helpful comments. Roger Bilham provided help in modelling and interpretation. They also thank Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India for financial support for this study vide MoES/P.O.(Seismo)/GPS/27/2004 and MoES/PO(Seismo)/GPS-1/2012.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Mizoram University, Aizawl, 796 004, India

    R P Tiwari, C Lalsawta &  Malsawmtluanga

  2. CSIR – National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 606, India

    V K Gahalaut

  3. Department of Geography & Resource Management, Mizoram University, Aizawl, 796 004, India

    Ch U B Rao

  4. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India

    B Kundu

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  1. R P Tiwari
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  2. V K Gahalaut
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  3. Ch U B Rao
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  4. C Lalsawta
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  5. B Kundu
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Correspondence to R P Tiwari.

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Tiwari, R.P., Gahalaut, V.K., Rao, C.U.B. et al. No evidence for shallow shear motion on the Mat Fault, a prominent strike slip fault in the Indo-Burmese wedge. J Earth Syst Sci 124, 1039–1046 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-015-0591-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-015-0591-8

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