Recent large and strong earthquakes in the eastern Himalayas: An appraisal on seismotectonic model. Issue 12 (6th September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kayal, J. R.; Baruah, Santanu; Hazarika, Devajit; Das, Amlanjyoti
• Other Names: Singh Athokapm Krishnakanta guestEditor.; Chung Sun‐Lin guestEditor.; Somerville Ian D. guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Geological journal. Volume 57:Issue 12(2022)
• Page Start: 4929
• Page End: 4938
• Publication Date: 2022-09-06
• Subjects: a plane of detachment -- active faults -- fault plane solutions -- Himalayan earthquakes -- seismotectonic model; Geology -- Periodicals; 551
• DOI: 10.1002/gj.4576
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0072-1050

Abstract

Abstract : Since 1934, two great earthquakes (Mw ≥8.0) and some eight large/strong earthquakes (Mw 6.5–7.8) occurred in the eastern Himalayas, from eastern Nepal to the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS) Zone. All these events are instrumentally recorded by local as well as by the global network. From west to east these events are the 2015 two large/devastating earthquakes (Mw 7.8 and 7.3, respectively) in eastern Nepal, the 1934 and 1988 Bihar–Nepal earthquakes (Mw 8.1 and 6.8, respectively), the 2011 Sikkim (Mw 6.9), the 1967 and 2009 Bhutan (Mw 6.5 and 6.3, respectively), 1964 and 1947 Arunachal–Tibet (Mw 6.5 and 7.0, respectively), and the 1950 Assam–Tibet great (Mw 8.4) earthquakes. Most recently, on 28 April 2021, an earthquake Mw 6.1 occurred in the Assam foredeep. These events are documented as shallow (0–20 km) Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) earthquakes in the International Seismological Center and National Earthquake Information Center— USGS catalogues. With the advent of local digital seismic networks and better precision of hypocentre locations, the eastern Himalayan earthquake source zones are found to be much different; these are not typically MHT events. Precise hypocentre locations indicate bimodal seismicity at shallower (0–20 km) as well as at deeper depths (40–70 km) in the eastern Himalayas. Seismic cross‐sections and fault plane solutions of the earthquakes do not support a uniform seismotectonic model for the entire Himalayas. All the instrumentally recorded past great earthquakes in the Himalayas and the recent destructive earthquakes in the eastern Himalayas study region are critically examined in view of the known seismotectonic model, and we suggest that each large/great earthquake occurred in its own unique complex tectonic environment. The transverse structures play a major role in generating the deeper earthquakes in the eastern Himalayas and the EHS; the shallower MHT may be flattened. Abstract : Usually, earthquakes in the Himalayas occur on the Main Himalayan Thrust. However, this cannot be generalized to the occurrences of earthquakes in the eastern Himalayas. This study suggests that each large/great earthquake of the eastern Himalayas occurred in its own unique complex tectonic environment.