Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Koyna, India, an ideal site for near field earthquake observations

  • Published:
Journal of the Geological Society of India

Abstract

The Koyna earthquake of M 6.3 on December 10, 1967 is the largest artificial water reservoir triggered earthquake globally. It claimed ∼ 200 human lives and devastated the Koyna township. Before the impoundment of the Shivaji Sagar Lake created by the Koyna Dam, there were no earthquakes reported from the region. Initially a few stations were operated in the region by the CentralWater and Power Research Station (CWPRS). The seismic station network grew with time and currently the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad is operating 23 broadband seismographs and 6 bore hole seismic stations. Another reservoir, Warna, was created in 1985, which provided a further impetus to Reservoir Triggered Seismicity (RTS). Every year following the monsoon, water levels rise in the two reservoirs and there is an immediate increase in triggered earthquakes in the vicinity of Koyna-Warna reservoirs in the months of August–September. Peak RTS is observed in September and later during December.Another spurt in triggered earthquakes is observed during the draining of the reservoirs in the months of April- May. A comparative study of RTS earthquake sequences and the ones occurring in nearby regions made it possible to identify four common characteristics of RTS sequences that discriminate them from normal earthquake sequences. As the RTS events continue to occur at Koyna in a large number in a limited area of 20 km x 30 km, at shallow depths (mostly 2 to 9 km), the region being accessible for all possible observations and there being no other source of earthquakes within 100 km of Koyna Dam, it was suggested to be an ideal site for near field observations of earthquakes. This suggestion was discussed by the global community at an ICDP sponsored workshop held at Hyderabad and Koyna in 2011. There was an unanimous agreement about the suitability of the site for deep scientific drilling; however, a few additional observations/experiments were suggested. These were carried out in the following three years and another ICDP workshop was held in 2014, which totally supported setting up a borehole laboratory for near field investigations at Koyna. Location of a Pilot Bore-hole was decided on the basis of seismic activity and other logistics. The 3 km deep Pilot Borehole was spudded on December 20, 2016 and completed on June 11, 2017.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cao Dinh Trieu, Cao Dinh Trong, Le Van Dung, Thai Anh Tuan and Dinh Quoc Van, Ha Vinh Long (2014) Triggered Earthquake study in Tranh River No.2 (Vietnam) Hydropower Reservoir.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carder, D.S. (1945) Seismic investigations in the Boulder Dam area, 1940–1944, and the influence of reservoir loading on earthquake activity. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., v.35, pp.175–192.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chung-Kang, S., Hou-chun. C., Chu-han, C., Li-Sheng, H., Tzu-chiang, L., Chen-yung, Y., Ta-chun, W. and Hsueh-hai, L. (1974) Earthquakes induced by reservoir impounding and their effect on the Hsingengkiang Dam. Science Sinica, v.17(2), pp.239–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galanopoulos, A.G. (1967) The large conjugate fault system and the associated earthquake activity in Greece. Ann. Geol. Pays Helleniques (Athens), v.18, pp.119–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guha, S.K., Gosavi, P.D., Varma, M.M., Agarwal, S.P., Padale, J.G. and Marwadi, S.C. (1970) Recent seismic disturbances in the Shivajisagar Lake area of the Koyna Hydro-electric Project. Maharashtra, India, 2. Rep. C.W.P.R.S., 25p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K., Narain, H., Rastogi, B.K. and Mohan, I. (1969) A study of the Koyna earthquake of Dec.10, 1967, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., v.59, pp.1149–1162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K., Rastogi, B.K., and Narain, H. (1972a) Common features of the reservoir associated seismic activities. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., v.62, pp.481–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K., Rastogi, B.K. and Narain, H. (1972b) Some discriminatory characteristics of earthquakes near the Kariba, Kremasta and Koyna artificial lakes. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., v.62, pp.493–507.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K. and Rastogi, B.K. (1974) Will another damaging earthquake occur in Koyna? Nature, v.248, pp.215–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K. (1983) Induced seismicity hazard mitigation through water level manipulation at Koyna, India: A suggestion. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Amer., v.73, pp.679–682.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K. (1992) Reservoir Induced Earthquakes. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 364p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K (2011) Artificial Water Reservoir Triggered Earthquakes, Encyclopedia of Solid Earth Geophysics, Springer+Business media, 1, pp.15–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K., Rastogi, B.K., Indra Mohan, Rao, C.V.R.K., Sarma, S.V.S. and Rao, R.U.M. (1997) An investigation into the Latur Earthquake of September 29, 1993 in Southern India. Tectonophysics, v.287, pp.299–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K. and Johnston, A.C. (1998) Stable Continental Regions Are More Vulnerable to Earthquakes than Once Thought’ (Chapman Conference Report), EOS Transactions, AGU, v.79(27), pp.319–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K and Nayak, S. (2011) Deep Scientific Drilling to Study Reservoir-Triggered Earthquakes in Koyna, Western India, Scientific Drilling, no.12, pp.53–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K., Prantik Mandal and Rastogi, B.K. (2002) How long will triggered earthquakes at Koyna, India continue? Curr. Sci., v.82, (2), pp.202–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K., Purnachandra Rao, N., Sukanta Roy, Kusumita Arora, Tiwari, V.M., Patro, B.P.K., Satyanarayana, H.V.S., Shashidhar, D., Mallika, K., Vyasulu V. Akkiraju, Goswami, D., Vyas, D., Ravi, G., Srinivas, K.N.S.S.S., Srihari, M., Mishra, S., Dubey, C.P., Raju, Ch. V., Ujjal Borah, Chinna Reddy, K., Narendra Babu, Sunil Rohilla, Upasana Dhar, Mrinal Sen, Bhaskar Rao, Y.J. (2014) Investigations related to scientific deep drilling to study reservoir-triggered earthquakes at Koyna, India. Internat. Jour. Earth Sci., DOI: 10.1007/s00531-014-1128-0.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta, H.K., Shashidhar, D., Mahato, C.R., Satyanarayana, H.V.S., Mallika, K., Purnachandra Rao, N., Maity, B.S. and Navitha, K. (2017) Location of the pilot borehole for investigations of reservoir triggered seismicity at Koyna, India. Gondwana Res., Elsevier, v.42, pp.133–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ishikawa, M. and Oike, K. (1982) On reservoir-induced earthquakes in China, Zishin, v.35(2), pp.171–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, A.C. (1994) Report on the Session on Latur Earthquake at IASPEI XXVII General Assembly by H.K.Gupta. IUGG Chronicle, N 221, April/May 1994, pp.80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, A.C. (1993) Average stable continental earthquake source parameters based on constant stress drop scaling, Abstracts, 65th Annual meeting, Eastern Section. Seismol. Soc. Amer., SRL, v.64(3-4), pp.261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mane, P.M. (1967) Earth tremors in the Koyna Project area. 9th Congr. On Large Dams, Istanbul, 1967. Commission Internationale des Grands Barrages, Paris, pp.509–518.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mogi, K. (1963) Some discussions on aftershocks, foreshocks and earthquake swarms-the fracture of a semi-infinite body caused by an inner stress origin and its relation to the earthquake phenomena. Bull. Earthquake Res. Inst., v.41, pp.615–658.

    Google Scholar 

  • Narain, H. and Gupta, H.K. (1968) The Koyna earthquake. Nature, v.217, pp.1138–1139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavlin, G.B. and Langston, C.A. (1983) An integrated study of reservoir induced seismicity and Landsat. Imagery of Lake Kariba, Africa. Photogramm. Engg. Remote Sensing, v.49, pp.513–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rajendran, K., Talwani, P. and Gupta, H.K. (1992) State of Stress in the Indian Subcontinent: A review. In: Special Issue on Seismology in India–an Overview. Curr. Sci., v.62, Nos.1&2, pp.86–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rao, N.P. and Shashidhar, D. (2016) Periodic variation of stress field in the Koyna–Warna reservoir triggered seismic zone inferred from focal mechanism studies. Tectonophysics, Elsevier, v.679, pp.29–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rastogi, B.K. (1994) Latur Earthquake: Not Triggered. In: Latur Earthquake. Mem. Geol. Soc. India, no.35, pp.31–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shashidhar, D., Satyanarayana, H.V.S., Mahato, C.R., Mallika, K., Rao, N.P. and Gupta, H.K. (2016) Borehole Network at Koyna India. Seismological Research Letters, Early edition.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein, S., Wiens, D.A. and Fujita, K. (1982) The 1966 Kremasta reservoir earthquake sequence. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., v.59, pp.49–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Talwani P. (1997) On the nature of reservoir induced seismicity. Pure Appld. Geophys., v.150, pp.511–550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIR- National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, 500 007, India

    Harsh K. Gupta

Authors
  1. Harsh K. Gupta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Harsh K. Gupta.

Additional information

(The work reported here is carried out in collaboration with several colleagues at NGRI on Koyna earthquake related problems. These include Indra Mohan, B. K. Rastogi, Prantik Mandal, C. V. Ram Krishna Rao, Uma Maheshwar Rao, S. V. S. Sarma, R. K. Chadha, D. Srinagesh, D. V. Reddy, P. C. Rao, Sukanta Roy, Virendra Tiwari, H. V. S. Satyanarayana, Kusumita Arora, Prasanta K. Patro, D. Shashidhar, M. Uma Anuradha and K. Mallika).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gupta, H.K. Koyna, India, an ideal site for near field earthquake observations. J Geol Soc India 90, 645–652 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-017-0771-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12594-017-0771-z

Search

Navigation