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Variation in the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) within the Central Himalayan Seismic Gap using teleseismic P-wave coda autocorrelation: implications for seismic hazard.

Sandeep Gupta, Ali T S Saneesh, Sudesh Kumar, K Sivaram.

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggaf325 

The seismic hazard from large Himalayan earthquakes is primarily controlled by the geometry of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT). To assess this in the central Himalayan seismic gap, the authors have mapped the MHT structure using teleseismic P-wave coda autocorrelation along four seismic profiles, using data from 117 broadband stations spaced 3 – 5 km apart. The results reveal a predominantly flat–ramp–flat MHT geometry, with significant variation in ramp position, dip, and width along strike, including changes near the Main Frontal and Main Boundary thrusts. These along-strike geometric variations imply segmentation of the Himalayan arc and potentially distinct seismic hazard scenarios for future major earthquakes.

Plot showing inferred MHT geometry along a profile located in the eastern Himachal Himalaya.

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