clusters of moderate size earthquakes along main central thrust (mct) in himalaya集群的中等规模地震主中央逆断层(mct)在喜马拉雅山脉.pdfVIP

International Journal of Geosciences, 2011, 2, 318-325 doi:10.4236/ijg.2011.23034 Published Online August 2011 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/ijg) Clusters of Moderate Size Earthquakes along Main Central Thrust (MCT) in Himalaya Basab Mukhopadhyay Geodata and Database Division, Geological Survey of India, Kolkata, India E-mail : basabmukhopadhyay@ Received April 25, 2011; revised June 6, 2011; accepted July 21, 2011 Abstract The Main Central Thrust (MCT) in Himalaya is seismically active in segments. In recent times, strain release within these active segments produce five spatial clusters (A to E; Figure 1). The seismicity within the clus- ter zones occurs in two depth bands; corresponding to the base of upper and lower crust. Depth sections across the clusters illustrate gently dipping subducted Indian Plate, overriding Tibetan Plate and compressed Sedimentary Wedge in between, with mid crustal ramping of MCT. Several presumptions / hypotheses have been put forward to decipher the causes of clustering along MCT. These are segmental activation of MCT, cross fault interactions, zones of arc parallel and arc perpendicular compressions, pore pressure perturbations, low heat flow zones etc. But these hypotheses need to be evaluated in the future after more ground level data are available. The maximum size of seismic threat that MCT can produce is inferred to be around Mw 7.0 in those clusters. Keywords: MCT, Himalaya, Earthquake, Seismic Clusters, Seismic Potential 1. Introduction mogenesis due to MCT and clustering of earthquakes related to this are somewhat neglected or oversimplified.