Active Tectonics of Kumaun and Garhwal Himalaya

163 Pages·2018·15.617 MB·English

by  R. Jayangondaperumal, V. C. Thakur, V. Joevivek, Priyanka Singh Rao, Anil Kumar Gupta

Springer Natural Hazards
R. Jayangondaperumal · V. C. Thakur 
V. Joevivek · Priyanka Singh Rao 
Anil Kumar Gupta
Active Tectonics
of Kumaun
and Garhwal
Himalaya
Springer Natural Hazards
TheSpringerNaturalHazardsseriesseekstopublishabroadportfolioofscientific
books, aiming at researchers, students, and everyone interested in Natural Hazard
research. The series includes peer-reviewed monographs, edited volumes, text-
books, and conference proceedings. It covers all categories of hazards such as
atmospheric/climatological/oceanographic hazards, storms, tsunamis, floods, ava-
lanches,landslides,erosion,earthquakes,volcanoes,andwelcomesbookproposals
on topics like risk assessment, risk management, and mitigation of hazards, and
related subjects.
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/10179
R. Jayangondaperumal V. C. Thakur
(cid:129)
V. Joevivek Priyanka Singh Rao
(cid:129)
Anil Kumar Gupta
Active Tectonics of Kumaun
and Garhwal Himalaya
123
R. Jayangondaperumal PriyankaSinghRao
Structure andTectonic Group Structure andTectonic Group
WadiaInstitute ofHimalayan Geology WadiaInstitute ofHimalayan Geology
Dehradun, Uttarakhand Dehradun, Uttarakhand
India India
V.C. Thakur and
Structure andTectonic Group
WadiaInstitute ofHimalayan Geology Geological Surveyof India
Dehradun, Uttarakhand Government of India
India Hyderabad, Telangana
India
V.Joevivek
Structure andTectonic Group Anil Kumar Gupta
WadiaInstitute ofHimalayan Geology Structure andTectonic Group
Dehradun, Uttarakhand WadiaInstitute ofHimalayan Geology
India Dehradun, Uttarakhand
India
and
and
Akshaya Collegeof Engineering and
Technology Department ofGeology andGeophysics
Kinathukadavu, Coimbatore,Tamil Nadu Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
India Kharagpur, West Bengal
India
ISSN 2365-0656 ISSN 2365-0664 (electronic)
SpringerNatural Hazards
ISBN978-981-10-8242-9 ISBN978-981-10-8243-6 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8243-6
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2018931503
©SpringerNatureSingaporePteLtd.2018
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpart
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
orinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilar
methodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publicationdoesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfrom
therelevantprotectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authorsortheeditorsgiveawarranty,expressorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinor
for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to
jurisdictionalclaimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.
Printedonacid-freepaper
ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbytheregisteredcompanySpringerNature
SingaporePteLtd.partofSpringerNature
Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:152BeachRoad,#21-01/04GatewayEast,
Singapore189721,Singapore
Dedicated to all those working on active fault
of the Himalaya
Preface
InHimalaya,aboutonehundredthousandliveshavebeenlostinlargeearthquakes
duringthepastonehundredyears.Thelossoflivesandpropertycanbeminimized
through intervention of improved construction technology and incorporating
buildingcode.TheHimalayanregionisundergoingfasteconomicdevelopmenton
a large scale in the areas of hydroelectric power generation, building of highways
including tunnels, tourism infrastructure, and other societal projects. In the frontal
Sub-Himalaya and adjoining Ganga plain, there is ongoing development of
industrial units and transport sector. It is in these types of infrastructure creation
projectsthattheactivefaultstudies(includemappingandcharacterizationofafault
scarp using paleoseismological investigation) assume importance. A fault scarp is
definedasatectoniclandformcorrespondingto,orroughlycoincident,afaultplane
thathasdisplacedthegroundsurface.Geneticrelationshipbetweentheactivefaults
and earthquakes has now been established in the case of some of the destructive
earthquakes, like 1994 Northridge, 1999 Chi-Chi, and 2005 Kashmir earthquakes.
This has given rise to recognition of the hazard posed by active faults to the
infrastructureandsociety.Thereareexamplesofnear-totalannihilationofavillage,
severe damage to educational infrastructure killing children and destruction of a
large bridge over a river located close to the active faults in areas moderately
damaged by earthquakes. In Himalaya, the major projects have been built taking
into consideration the peak ground acceleration parameter. In the absence of an
active fault in the project area, this may hold good and may be applicable for
assessing vulnerability and safety of the infrastructure, whereas in the presence of
an active fault in the vicinity of an infrastructure project, there will be an expo-
nential increase in the risk factor. It is therefore imperative that the engineers also
consider the occurrence or presence of an active fault and its characteristics in
selectingthelocationanddesigningtheinfrastructureproject.Theactivefaultstudy
has developed into an important area of research in earthquake hazard assessment,
involving mapping, tectonic geomorphology, paleoseismology, and geochrono-
logical dating. The multidisciplinary approach is applied to determine the active
fault properties that include the timing and magnitude of slip and vertical offset.
There is now global recognition, and there are ongoing international programs on
vii
viii Preface
active faults. Kumaun and Garhwal are the two regions of Uttarakhand State. The
state suffered loss of lives and property during the moderate 1991 Uttarkashi and
1999 Chamoli earthquakes. In the historical past, there was a major devastating
earthquakeofAD1803inGarhwal.Thereisalsopaleoseismicevidencethatagreat
paleoearthquake in AD 1344 ruptured the Himalayan front and reactivated the
Himalayan frontal fault. The large earthquakes originate in the Lesser Himalayan
hinterland and the ruptures propagate to the forel and breaking the ground surface
or remain blind at depths like the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal. The
Sub-HimalayazonebetweentheMainBoundaryThrustandtheHimalayanFrontal
Thrustischaracterizedbyactivefaults.Inthisbook,wehavefocusedourstudyon
the active faults of this zone in Uttarakhand.
Dehradun, India R. Jayangondaperumal
July 2017 V. C. Thakur
V. Joevivek
Priyanka Singh Rao
Anil Kumar Gupta
Acknowledgements
Throughout the process of writing this book, many individuals from the Earth
ScienceCommunityhavetakentimeouttohelpusinthisendeavor.Weappreciate
the community as a whole for actively participating in the feedback and contri-
butions for this book. We express our gratitude to the Director, Wadia Institute of
HimalayanGeology(WIHG),Dehradun,forpartialfinancialsupportandproviding
the infrastructure and laboratory facilities through institutional flagship project to
carryoutthiswork.WewouldliketothanktheManagementofAkshayaCollegeof
Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore, for providing the infrastructure support
to complete this task. We appreciate Mr. Rajeeb Lochan Mishra for helping us in
the process of editing the document. The authors thank Prof. Robert S. Yeats and
the anonymous reviewers for their useful comments in improving the book chap-
ters.Thankstopublisherforacceptingourproposalandpublishingthebookunder
Springer Natural Hazards book series. We would extend our gratitude to the edi-
torialmembersfortheirassistanceinediting,proofreading,anddesignofthebook.
Above all, we would like to thank our family members for their support.
ix
About the Book
Thebookcontributes tounderstandingthepattern ofstrainreleaseandthelevelof
seismichazardimposedbylarge-greatearthquakesinthefrontalfold-thrustbeltsof
Kumaun and Garhwal regions of Uttarakhand. The motivation for active fault
studies and their characterization have been emphasized. The book presents the
compilation of knowledge garnered in multidisciplinary or proxy studies involved
intheunderstandingofseismichazardingeneralandKumaun–GarhwalHimalaya
regions in particular with lucid new maps draped on modern Cartosat or
SRTM DEM data. It also discusses satellite image calibration, active faults iden-
tifications, and map productions with flowchart. The book discusses window-wise
active fault elements with attributes together with the tectonic geomorphic map. It
also includes active fault scarp with topographic profile along with field pho-
tographs.Finally,itreviewsallexistingseismotectonicmodelsoftheHimalaya,its
earthquake hazard, and its vulnerability, specifically for Kumaun and Garhwal
regions.
xi