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Minor Lithospheric Mantle Earthquakes Beneath the South Indian Shield: Implications for Continental Mantle Rheology.

Paul H, Sunilkumar TC, Naresh B, Kumar MR.

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH: SOLID EARTH

https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JB031522 

Beneath the Moho, temperatures are typically high enough to prevent earthquakes. However, the authors have reported for the first time two mantle earthquakes beneath the Cuddapah Basin at a depth of 45 km, about 12 km below the Moho. The crust-lithosphere thickness in this region is optimal for both the transmission of tectonic strains and thermal insulation to remain sufficiently cold.

Fig: Crustal and mantle earthquakes (circles) located in the Cuddapah region during 2008-2022 and their depth distribution (histogram). Beach balls show fault mechanism (mag. ≥ 3.0). Moho depths are marked by a dashed line in the cross-section.

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