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Seismic velocity imaging of the Kumaon–Garhwal Himalaya, India

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Abstract

Since the initial collision at 55 Ma, rocks of the Indian crust below the Himalayas have undergone modification chemically and compositionally due to the ongoing India–Asia convergence. The local earthquake tomography images a shallow (~ 1–2°) north-easterly dipping low-velocity layer (10–20% drop in Vp and Vs, 10–15% increase in Vp/Vs) beneath the region between 10 and 20 km depth, which is inferred as the main Himalayan thrust (MHT). The presence of this low-velocity layer may be attributed to the presence of aqueous/metamorphic fluids or high fluid pressure, which may trigger crustal earthquakes by lowering the frictional coefficient (~ 0.01–0.08) on the MHT. The 1803 Mw8.2 Garhwal, 1991 Mw6.8 Uttarkashi and 1999 Mw6.4 Chamoli earthquakes have also been modelled to be triggered on the MHT, by the presence of aqueous/metamorphic fluids or high pore-fluid pressure. Besides, our modelling predicts three un-ruptured similar low-velocity zones on the MHT for generating future moderate to large fluid-triggered earthquakes in the region. The mapped low-velocity anomalies at 25–35 km depths further support the idea of the presence of a relatively higher temperature due to the hotter mantle below, which induces ductile rheology that prevents the lower crustal seismicity.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are grateful to the Director, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research—National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR-NGRI), Hyderabad, India, for his support and permission to publish this work. Figures were plotted using the Generic Mapping Tool (GMT) software (Wessel et al. 2013). This study was supported by the CSIR-NGRI, Hyderabad, India. The current seismic network in the Kumaon–Garhwal Himalayan region is operated under a Mission-Mode Project (HCP0017) project supported by the CSIR-NGRI. Datasets for this research are included in this paper and its supplementary material.We dedicate this paper to our colleague late Mr. YVVBSN Murthy, who generated the basic phase data of precise P- and S- arrival times for our tomographic study.

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  1. CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, India

    Prantik Mandal, D. Srinagesh, R. Vijayaraghavan, G. Suresh, B. Naresh, P. Solomon Raju, Aarti Devi, K. Swathi, Dhiraj K. Singh, D. Srinivas, Satish Saha, M. Shekar, A. N. S. Sarma & YVVBSN Murthy

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  1. Prantik Mandal
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  2. D. Srinagesh
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  3. R. Vijayaraghavan
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Correspondence to Prantik Mandal.

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Datasets for the present study are included in this paper and its supplementary information files. The P- and S- arrival times, earthquake location, and station location data used in the present work can be obtained from the https://www.ngri.org.in/84567952/uk_tomo.zip.

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Mandal, P., Srinagesh, D., Vijayaraghavan, R. et al. Seismic velocity imaging of the Kumaon–Garhwal Himalaya, India. Nat Hazards 111, 2241–2260 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-021-05135-4

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