Significant Earthquakes in Nepal

KU
KASETSART UNIVERSITY

Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering

ASSIGNMENT NO. 1:
Geotectonics of Nepal

Submitted to:
Dr. Suttisak Soralump

Submitted by:

Mr. Avishek Shrestha

6014500235

AUGUST 2017

Geotechnical Engineering Division

Civil Engineering Department

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Geotectonics of Nepal

Geotectonics of Nepal

Nepal lies on the boundary of two massive tectonic plates the Indo-Australian and Eurasian
Plates. It is the collision of these plates that created Himalayas and the earthquakes with them. The
Indian tectonic plate is continuously pushing the Eurasian plate with about a rate of about 4-5 cm
per year. This rate is considered to be quite high, considering the size of the plates of earths crust
involved. On analogy, with the human body, this is twice the speed with which human fingernails
grows.
As the indian plane is subducted under the Eurasian plate, it pushes the continental crust upward
forming the formidable Himalayan range as shown on figure below:

(Source: http://www.oyetimes.com/news/asia/81044-the-geological-setting-of-nepal-and-why-it-
is-earthquake-prone)
The Indian sub-continent can be divided into three major units: The peninsular shield, The indo-
gangetic basin and the Himalayas. Comparing all, the geology of the Himalaya is considered to be
very complex considering the structural complexity of the rocks and discontinuous nature. The
Himalayan region is divided into four major morphotectonic zones which are characterized by
different physiography and stratigraphy. From south to north, these are the sub-Himalaya, the
Lesser Himalaya, the Higher Himalaya and the Tibetan Himalaya.
In Nepal, Geologists have divided Nepal into five distinct geotectonic zones Terai plain, sub
Himalaya (Siwalik Range), Lesser Himalaya (Mahabharat Range and mid valleys), Higher
Himalaya and Inner Himalaya (Tibetan Tethys). By geotectonic zones, they have divided Nepal
considering the shape, structure, and arrangement of the rock masses resulting from structural
deformation of the earth's crust.
The figure in the next page is a cross-section of the physiography of the Himalayas.

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Geotectonics of Nepal

Fig: Cross section of the physiography of the Himalayas

(Source: http://www.oyetimes.com/news/asia/81044-the-geological-setting-of-nepal-and-why-it-
is-earthquake-prone)

Nearly one third of the long running 2400 km of Himalaya range lies within Nepal.
The collision and the resulting continuous subduction of the Indian plate experiencing resistance
from the Eurasian landmass from the northern side produced several major thrusts. The major
thrusts produced are:
a) Main Central Thrust (MCT), separating the Higher Himalayn Zone from the Lesser
Himalayan Zone.
b) Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), separating the Sub-Himalayan Zone from Gangetic Plains.
c) Main Boundary Thrust (MBT), separating the Lesser Himalayan from Siwalik.
d) South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS) marking the boundary between the Higher
Himalayan Zone and the overlying fossiliferous sequence of the Tibetan Tethys Zone.
e) Indo Tsangpo Suture Zone (ITS), is the contact knot between Indian plate and Tibetan
(Eurasian) Plate in terms of plate tectonics. (Dahal, R., K., 2006)
The ITS is the direct result of this collision and represents the boundary between these two mega
plates.
The main tectonic features of Himalayas are the MCT, the MBT and the MFT which developed
from north to south; and these thrusts control the fundamental tectonic framework of the Himalaya.

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Geotectonics of Nepal

The MCT is the first thrust to break the Indian plate and was developed around 24 to 25 Ma ago
and is situated about 250 km south of the ITS. The MCT extends for nearly 2400 km along the
strike and forms the early Indian-Asian plate convergence zone. The MCT in Nepal region is
associated with several active fault systems such as: the Darma fault (~15 km long); the Talphi
fault (~10 km long); the Tibrikot fault (~20 km long); and a NW-SE trending fault in Dhaulagiri
region (~20 km long).

Fig: Longitudinal Subdivision of the Himalaya (modified after Gansser 1964)

The MBT lies nearly 50 km south of the MCT and it separates the meta-sedimentary rocks of the
Pre-Tertiary Lesser Himalaya from the conglomerates and the sandstones of the Sub Himalayan
belt (Siwalik formation). It is a continuous structure throughout the Himalayan range having offset
at many places by nearly north-south transverse faults, and is presently partly active. (Nakata,
1989). South-west directed movement is associated with the MBT, and it was developed since
Pliocene time. The MBT has been active through the Pleistocene (Le Fort, 1975, Valdiya, 1981).
The active faults in the MBT have east-west as well as NW-SE trend. The active faults include
nearly 80 km long Rangun Khola fault between rivers Kali and Karnali in Far Western Nepal;
about 120 km long Surkhet- Ghorahi fault between Surkhet and Ghorahi; almost 60 km long Arun
khola fault to the north of Butwal city in Dobhan Khola; east west running nearly 40 km long
Hetauda fault along Churia and Bagmati rivers; about 85 km long, Udayapur fault in eastern
region; and Saptakosi - Mechi fault that runs from Dharan to Mechi (Nakata, 1982, 1989).
The MFT is the southernmost thrust of the Himalaya and separates the Siwalik rocks from the
Gangetic alluvium which consists of shale, thick bedded sandstones, conglomerates, etc.

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Geotectonics of Nepal

Tectonically, although Siwalik group rocks are faulted, folded and thrusted to the south over Terai
region, this region is less complicated than the overlying lesser Himalayan zone. The active faults
in the MFT system are the Sangur Khola fault trending NW-SE in the west of Bajura district; the
Jumla fault having NW-SE trends for 5 km in the east of Jumla town, about 140 km long Bari Gad
fault with trending NW-SE, nearly 17 km long the Dhorpatan fault to NNW-SSE, the Jhimruk
Khola fault along the lower course of Jhimruk khola trends WNW-ESE and is about 15 km long.
Similarly Kalphu Khola fault in the north west of Kathmandu, 10 km long Kulekhani fault trends
NNW-SSE along the course of Kulekhani river, 7 km long NW-SW trending Sunkoshi- Rosi fault
which is parallel to the Sunkoshi and Rosi river are known (Nakata, 1989; Sharma, 1990).
Many transverse lineaments are present between the Gangetic foredeep and the ITS across the
Himalaya. Strikes of these transverse lineaments, in general, vary from northwest to northeast, and
are parallel to the outline of the sub-surface ridges underlying the fore-deep (Dasgupta et al., 1987).
They are, the Faizabad-Piuthan; Motihari Gaurishanker; MotihariEverest; Arun;
Kanchendzonga; PurniaEverest; Tista; and Gangtok lineaments. A few of them are reported to
be seismically active. (D.Shanker et al., 2012)
A total of 92 active faults have been mapped throughout the country by the Seismic Hazard
Mappping and Risk Assessment for Nepal carried out as part of the Building Code Deveopment
Project -1992-1994.

Fig: Active Faults in and around Nepal Himalaya

(Source: Takashi N. & Yasuhiro K. (2002), Active faulting across the Himalaya and its
significance in the collision tectonics)

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Geotectonics of Nepal

References:
[1] Dahal, R., K., 2006. Geology for Technical Students, Bhrikuti Academic Publications, Kathmandu,
Nepal

[2] Nakata, T. (1982). A photogrammetric study on active faults in the Nepal Himalayas. J.
Nepal Geol. Soc., Special Issue 2
[3] D. Shanker et. al., (2012). Discourse on Seismotectonics of Nepal Himalaya and
Vicinity:Appraisal to Earthquake Hazard
[4] Glen Asher (2015, July). The Geological Setting of Nepal and Why it is Earthquake Prone.
Retrived from: www.oyetimes.com