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Variations of b-value and the ω-upper bound magnitude of GIII distribution of the Pamir–Hindu Kush region

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Abstract

The frequency–magnitude distribution (b-value) and upper bound magnitude to Gumbel’s third asymptotic distribution (ω-value) for the seismicity of the Pamir–Hindu Kush region from March 1949 to December 2018 is analyzed. The seismicity analysis includes an earthquake catalogue of M ≥ 3.0 extracted from National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC), USGS database which displays distribution of the earthquakes (declustered) in the study area. The study area has been divided into sub-zones that include the Hindu Kush, South Pamir, Central Pamir, and North Pamir. The b- and ω-values of the entire region, zones, and cross-sections have been estimated to understand the implications of variations in seismicity among the different parts. Considerable variations in the b- and ω-values are identified with b and ω ranging from 0.99 to 1.47 and 6.20 to 8.27 respectively. According to this study, the seismic zones of Hindu Kush and North Pamir correspond to a “low b-values” and a “very high ω-values” which are associated with the main tectonic features.

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Acknowledgements

We thank GIS and Space Applications in Geosciences (G-SAG) Lab, National Center of GIS and Space Applications, Islamabad, Pakistan, for the their support in this research. We acknowledge the research facilities provided by the National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Pakistan. We are thankful to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable and helpful comments leading to an improved manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Centre of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 25130, Pakistan

    Khaista Rehman, Wajid Ali, Muhammad Shafique & Waqas Ahmed

  2. GIS and Space Applications in Geosciences (G-SAG) Lab, National Center of GIS and Space Applications, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Khaista Rehman & Muhammad Shafique

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Aamir Ali

  4. Centre for Earthquke Studies, National Centre for Physics, Islamabad, Pakistan

    Adnan Barkat

  5. Earth System Science Programme, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Adnan Barkat

  6. Department of Geology, Khushal Khan Khattak University Karak, Karak, Pakistan

    Muhammad Waqar Azeem

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  1. Khaista Rehman
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Rehman, K., Ali, W., Shafique, M. et al. Variations of b-value and the ω-upper bound magnitude of GIII distribution of the Pamir–Hindu Kush region. Arab J Geosci 16, 615 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11707-4

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