Poroelastic relaxation and aftershocks of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, India

We analyse aftershocks of the 26 January 2001 Bhuj earthquake, India, that were recorded for 10 weeks following the mainshock. We calculate undrained or instantaneous pore pressure and change in Coulomb stress due to the earthquake and their poroelastic relaxation in the following 10 weeks period. Almost all aftershocks occurred in the region of coseismic dilatation. In the subsequent period, pore pressure increased through relaxation in the dilatation region which further modified coseismic Coulomb stress. Maximum increase in pore pressure is estimated to be about 0.7 MPa in 60 days time following the mainshock. Correlation between the zones of increased pore pressure and postseismic Coulomb stress with that of aftershocks, suggests a definite role of fluid diffusion in their delayed triggering.     

Geoseismological investigation of the January 26, 2001 Bhuj earthquake in western peninsular India

Of the intraplate seismic events, the January 26, 2001 Bhuj earthquake (Mw 7.7) would be remembered as one of the deadliest, in which 13,805 human lives were lost, 0.177 million injured and a total of 1,205,198 houses were fully or partly damaged in 16 districts of Gujarat state with an estimated overall loss of Rs. 284, 23 million. The brunt of the calamity was borne by five districts, namely Kachchh, Ahmadabad, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Surendranagar, where 99?% of the total casualties and damage occurred. In the neighbouring parts of Sindhh Province of Pakistan, 40 human casualties were reported, and some buildings cracked in the Karachi city as well. In the Kachchh district of Gujarat state, the telecommunication links and power supply were totally disrupted, road and rail links partially impaired and water supply snapped at many places. The Bhuj airbase had to be closed for some time due to damage to the infrastructure. The macroseismic survey carried out by the Geological Survey of India in an area as large as 1.2 million?sq?km indicated an epicentral intensity as high as X on the MSK scale in an area of 780?sq?km in the central part of Kachchh rift basin. Apart from damages to civil structures, the January 26 earthquake induced conspicuous terrain deformation in the form of liquefaction features, structural ground deformation and low-order slope failures that were mainly prevalent within the higher intensity isoseists. Liquefaction occurred in an area of about 50,000?sq?km. The extensive plains of Rann of Kachchh, the marshy tracts of the Little Rann and the shallow groundwater table zones of Banni Land provided the most conducive geotechnical environments for the development of seismites. The liquefaction activity was profuse in seismic intensity zones X and IX, widespread in intensity VIII, subdued in intensity VII and stray in intensity VI. The common forms of liquefaction were sand blows/boils, ground fissures, craters, lateral spreading and slumping. Ground deformation of tectonic origin was witnessed in the epicentral tract. Such features, though much less subdued in comparison with the 1819 large earthquake (Mw 7.8) in region, occurred along the Kachchh Mainland fault (KMF) and along a transverse lineament, referred to as Manfara?CKharoi fault. The manifestations were in the form of fractures, displacement of strata, linear subsidence, upheaval, formation of micro-basins/micro-ridges, ripping off of rock surface, and at places violent forms of liquefaction. The localities where coseismic deformations were observed include Bodhormora, Sikra, Vondh, Chobari, Manfara and Kharoi. The 2001 event has demonstrated the role of local geology in influencing the ground motion characteristics and, therefore, the hazard estimation.     

Triggered/migrated seismicity due to the 2001 M w7.7 Bhuj earthquake, Western India

Paper describes triggered seismicity to 200?km distance and for a decade due to the 2001 M _w7.7 Bhuj earthquake. The Kachchh region is seismically one of the most active intraplate regions of the World due to the occurrence of two large earthquakes 1819 (M _w7.8) and 2001 (M _w7.7). Though, it has high hazard but was known to have low seismicity in view of the occurrence of fewer smaller shocks. However, the status seems to have changed after 2001. Besides the strong aftershock activity for over a decade, seismicity has spread to nearby faults in Kachchh peninsula and at several places southward for 200?km distance in Saurashtra peninsula. Beyond the rupture zone of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake, more than 40 mainshocks of M _w?~?3?C5 have occurred at 20 different locations, which is unusual. The increased seismicity is inferred to be caused by stress perturbation due to the 2001 Bhuj earthquake by viscoelastic process. In Saurashtra, over and above the viscoelastic stress increase, the transient stress increase by water table rise in monsoons seems to be affecting the timing of mainshocks and associated sequences of earthquakes.     

Source parameters of the 2001 Mw 7.7 Bhuj earthquake,Gujarat, India,aftershock sequence

We present the estimated source parameters from SH-wave spectral modeling of selected 463 aftershocks (2002–06) of the 26 January 2001 Bhuj earthquake, the well-recorded largest continental intraplate earthquake. The estimated seismic moment (M_o), corner frequency (f_c), source radius (r) and stress drop (Δσ) for aftershocks of moment magnitude 1.7 to 5.6 range from 3.55×10¹¹ to 2.84×10¹⁷ N-m, 1.3 to 11.83 Hz, 107 to 1515 m and 0.13 to 26.7 MPa, respectively, while the errors in f_c and Δσ are found to be 1.1 Hz and 1.1 MPa, respectively. We also notice that the near surface attenuation factor (k) values vary from 0.02 to 0.03. Our estimates reveal that the stress drop values show more scatter (Mo^{0.5 to 1} is proportional to Δσ) toward the larger M_o values (≥10^14.5 N-m), while they show a more systematic nature (Mo³ is proportional to Δσ) for smaller M_o values (<10^14.5 N-m), which can be explained as a consequence of a nearly constant rupture radius for smaller aftershocks in the region. The large stress drops (= 10 MPa) associated with events on the north Wagad fault (at 15–30 km depth) and Gedi fault (at 3–15 km depth) can be attributed to the large stress developed at hypocentral depths as a result of high fluid pressure and the presence of mafic intrusive bodies beneath these two fault zones.     

The Bhuj, India, earthquake: lessons learned for earthquake safety of dams on alluvium

The Bhuj, India, earthquake of 26 January 2001, M_s 7.9, caused dams built on alluvium to sustain damage ranging from cosmetic to severe. Major damage was caused almost entirely by soil liquefaction in the alluvium. The critical factor was the level of earthquake ground motion.

The Bhuj earthquake showed that peak horizontal accelerations (PHAs)≤0.2 g were generally safe. PHAs>0.2 g were hazardous, when unconsolidated granular foundation soils were water saturated. N values of <20 are indicative of susceptibility to soil liquefaction. The Bhuj experience showed that alluvial foundation soils, subject to a PHA>0.2 g, must be evaluated over the full area beneath a new dam and all soils deemed susceptible to liquefaction must be either removed or treated. For remediating an old dam, reliable options are removal and replacement of liquefiable alluvium beneath upstream and downstream portions of the dam, combined with building berms designed to provide stability for the dam should there be a strength loss in soils beneath the dam.     

Geotechnical aspects and ground response studies in Bhuj earthquake, India

The extent of damage and affected areas in Bhuj earthquake (26th January 2001) has provided a unique opportunity to evaluate a wide range of geotechnical issues. A large area in the Rann of Kutch experienced massive liquefaction resulting in ground subsidence and lateral flow. A large number of dams in the Kutch district suffered moderate to severe damages. Many buildings were damaged and collapsed in the city of Ahmedabad situated on the bank of the Sabarmati River. In this paper, the ground response studies at a site in Ahmedabad City along with observations of geotechnical aspects such as ground cracking, sand volcanoes and liquefaction of soils associated with the Bhuj earthquake are discussed. The ground response studies indicate that the varying degree of damage to multistorey buildings in Ahmedabad in the close proximity of Sabarmati river area was essentially due to the collapse and undesirable settlement of partly saturated silty sand deposits. Large settlements are attributed to amplification of the ground and the near resonance condition. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Aftershock activity of Bhuj earthquake of january 26th, 2001

Following a large-sized Bhuj earthquake (M _s = 7.6) of January 26th, 2001, a small aperture 4-station temporary local network was deployed, in the epicentral area, for a period of about three weeks and resulted in the recording of more than 1800 aftershocks (-0.07 ≤M _L <5.0). Preliminary locations of epicenters of 297 aftershocks (2.0 ≤M _L <5.0) have brought out a dense cluster of aftershock activity, the center of which falls 20 km NW of Bhachau. Epicentral locations of after-shocks encompass a surface area of about 50 × 40 km² that seems to indicate the surface projection of the rupture area associated with the earthquake. The distribution of aftershock activity above magnitude 3, shows that aftershocks are nonuniformly distributed and are aligned in the north, northwest and northeast directions. The epicenter of the mainshock falls on the southern edge of the delineated zone of aftershock activity and the maximum clustering of activity occurs in close proximity of the mainshock. Well-constrained focal depths of 122 aftershocks show that 89% of the aftershocks occurred at depths ranging between 6 and 25 km and only 7% and 4% aftershocks occur at depths less than 5 and more than 25 km respectively. The Gutenberg-Richter (GR) relationship, logN = 4.52 - 0.89M_L, is fitted to the aftershock data (1.0<-M _L<5.0) and theb-value of 0.89 has been estimated for the aftershock activity.     

Artificial neural network and liquefaction susceptibility assessment: a case study using the 2001 Bhuj earthquake data,Gujarat, India

This study pertains to prediction of liquefaction susceptibility of unconsolidated sediments using artificial neural network (ANN) as a prediction model. The backpropagation neural network was trained, tested, and validated with 23 datasets comprising parameters such as cyclic resistance ratio (CRR), cyclic stress ratio (CSR), liquefaction severity index (LSI), and liquefaction sensitivity index (LSeI). The network was also trained to predict the CRR values from LSI, LSeI, and CSR values. The predicted results were comparable with the field data on CRR and liquefaction severity. Thus, this study indicates the potentiality of the ANN technique in mapping the liquefaction susceptibility of the area.     

Postseismic relaxation due to Bhuj earthquake on January 26, 2001: possible mechanisms and processes

Earthquakes cause static stress perturbations in the nearby crust and mantle. Obeying rheological laws, this stress relaxes in a time frame of months to years with the spatial extent of few km to hundreds of km. While postseismic relaxation associated with major inter-plate earthquakes is well established, there have been few opportunities to explore its occurrence following intraplate earthquakes. The M _w 7.6 Bhuj earthquake on January 26, 2001 in western India is considered to be an intraplate event and provided a unique opportunity to examine post-earthquake relaxation processes sufficiently away from plate boundaries. To study the characteristics of transient postseismic deformation, six Global Positioning System campaigns were made at 14 sites. The postseismic transients were delineated after removing plate motions from the position time series. Postseismic deformation has been observed at all the sites in the study area. During 2001?C2007, the site closest to the epicenter exhibited postseismic deformation of about 30 and 25?mm in the north and east components, respectively. Time series of the NS and EW components of the postseismic transients can be fitted to both logarithmic and exponential functions. Close to the epicenter, the logarithmic function fits well to the initial transient, and an exponential function fits well to the later phases. The remaining sites (located east and west of the epicentral region) exhibited significantly diminished north?Csouth relaxation. Rapidly decaying afterslip and poroelastic mechanisms seem to be responsible for postseismic relaxation in the vicinity of epicenter during the initial period subsequent to the Bhuj earthquake. Postseismic relaxation by viscoelastic flow below the seismogenic zone seems to affect displacements across the entire Bhuj region. This paper presents the characteristics of postseismic transients and deformation processes in the scenario of the highly heterogeneous crust in the Bhuj region.     

Statistical parameters of Bhuj earthquake sequence of January 26th, 2001

An intraplate earthquake of magnitude (M _c) 6.9 (Anon 2001a) struck Bhuj and the adjoining region of Kachchh in Gujarat on January 26th, 2001 at about 0316 hrs (GMT) and was followed by a number of aftershocks. The epicentre of this earthquake was located at 23.4‡N and 70.28‡E close to the Kachchh mainland fault. The intensity observed around the epicenter was X on the MSK scale. A study of 531 aftershocks, in the magnitude range of 3.0–5.7, recorded at Vadodara Seismological Observatory till March 31st, 2001 has been carried out and various statistical parameters calculated. The total energy released during the study period is calculated to be 8.2 × 10¹⁴ joule. Sudden occurrence of the main shock without any foreshock in the same tectonic system is a unique feature of this sequence. Theb- value (0.86), value of M₀-M₁ (1.2), high M₁/M₀ (0.89) and high value of the decay constanth (0.91), all support the tectonic origin of the present study.     

Study of the epicentral trends and depth sections for aftershocks of the 26th january 2001, Bhuj earthquake in Western India

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) established a twelve-station temporary microearthquake (MEQ) network to monitor the aftershocks in the epicenter area of the Bhuj earthquake (M _w7.5) of 26th January 2001. The main shock occurred in the Kutch rift basin with the epicenter to the north of Bhachao village, at an estimated depth of 25 km (IMD). About 3000 aftershocks (M _d ≥ 1.0), were recorded by the GSI network over a monitoring period of about two and half months from 29th January 2001 to 15th April 2001. About 800 aftershocks (M _d ≥ 2.0) are located in this study. The epicenters are clustered in an area 60 km × 30 km, between 23.3‡N and 23.6‡N and 70‡E and 70.6‡E. The main shock epicenter is also located within this zone. Two major aftershock trends are observed; one in the NE direction and other in the NW direction. Out of these two trends, the NE trend was more pronounced with depth. The major NE-SW trend is parallel to the Anjar-Rapar lineament. The other trend along NW-SE is parallel to the Bhachao lineament. The aftershocks at a shallower depth (<10km) are aligned only along the NW-SE direction. The depth slice at 10 km to 20 km shows both the NE-SW trend and the NW-SE trend. At greater depth (20 km–38 km) the NE-SW trend becomes more predominant. This observation suggests that the major rupture of the main shock took place at a depth level more than 20 km; it propagated along the NE-SW direction, and a conjugate rupture followed the NW-SE direction. A N-S depth section of the aftershocks shows that some aftershocks are clustered at shallower depth ≤ 10 km, but intense activity is observed at 15–38 km depth. There is almost an aseismic layer at 10–15 km depth. The activity is sparse below 38 km. The estimated depth of the main shock at 25 km is consistent with the cluster of maximum number of the aftershocks at 20–38 km. A NW-SE depth section of the aftershocks, perpendicular to the major NE-SW trend, indicates a SE dipping plane and a NE-SW depth section across the NW-SE trend shows a SW dipping plane. The epicentral map of the stronger aftershocksM ≥ 4.0 shows a prominent NE trend. Stronger aftershocks have followed the major rupture trend of the main shock. The depth section of these stronger aftershocks reveals that it occurred in the depth range of 20 to 38 km, and corroborates with a south dipping seismogenic plane.     

Tectonics and crustal structures related to Bhuj earthquake of January 26, 2001: based on gravity and magnetic surveys constrained from seismic and seismological studies

Gravity and magnetic data of the Kachchh basin and surrounding regions have delineated major E–W and NW–SE oriented lineaments and faults, which are even extending up to plate boundaries in the north Arabian Sea and western boundary of the Indian plate, respectively. The epicentral zone of Bhuj earthquake and its aftershocks is located over the junction of Rann of Kachchh and median uplifts viz. Kachchh mainland and Wagad uplifts, which are separated by thrust faults. Gravity data with constraints from the results of the seismic studies along a profile suggest that the basement is uplifted towards the north along thrust faults dipping 40–60° south. Similarly gravity and magnetic modeling along a profile across Wagad uplift suggest south dipping (50–60°) basement contacts separating rocks of high susceptibility and density towards the north. One of these contacts coincides with the fault plane of the Bhuj earthquake as inferred from seismological studies and its projection on the surface coincides with the E–W oriented north Wagad thrust fault. A circular gravity high in contact with the fault in northern part of the Wagad uplift along with high amplitude magnetic anomaly suggests plug type mafic intrusive in this region. Several such gravity anomalies are observed over the island belt in the Rann of Kachchh indicating their association with mafic intrusions. The contact of these intrusives with the country rock demarcates shallow crustal inhomogeneities, which provides excellent sites for the accumulation of regional stress. A regional gravity anomaly map based on the concept of isostasy presents two centers of gravity lows of −11 to −13 mGal (10⁻⁵ m/s²) representing mass deficiency in the epicentral region. Their best-fit model constrained from the receiver function analysis and seismic refraction studies suggest crustal root of 7–8 km (deep crustal inhomogeneity) under them for a standard density contrast of −400 kg/m³. It is, therefore, suggested that significant amount of stress get concentrated in this region due to (a) buoyant crustal root, (b) regional stress due to plate tectonic forces, and (c) mafic intrusives as stress concentrators and the same might be responsible for the frequent and large magnitude earthquakes in this region including the Bhuj earthquake of January 26, 2001.     

Aftershocks of 26th january 2001 Bhuj earthquake and seismotectonics of the Kutch region

The 26th January 2001 Bhuj earthquake was followed by intense aftershock activity. Aftershock data from United States Geological Survey (USGS) utilized in this study encompasses three months period from 26th January to 26th April 2001. Epicenters of the aftershock are plotted on a map depicting active faults. All the aftershocks of magnitude > 5 and 70% of those ranging between magnitude 3 and 5 are confined to an area resembling a horseshoe pattern with a pointed end towards NE. The other 20% of magnitude 3 to 5 are enclosed within an almost parallel boundary. Only 10% are found to be beyond this limiting boundary. 50% of the recorded after-shocks took place within the first week of the main event and this study reveals that the basic characteristic pattern of aftershock activity can be determined on the basis of the data of only one week. Four major NW-SE trending active faults are mapped in the Kutch region. They define the western limit of Cambay structure and also mark the western limit of Dharangadhra and Wadhwan basins along the SE continuation in Saurashtra. These faults separate the Kutch region into two geologically different blocks. On the SW side the mapped horseshoe pattern gets characteristically truncated along the western most fault, which is characterized by a strike-slip movement in the south and vertical movement in the north. The present study has revealed that the epicenter of the 26th January earthquake is located in the vicinity of the Bhachau township, close to the intersection with the Kutch mainland fault. Furthermore, it has been noticed that most of the epicenters of the aftershock are confined in the intersectional area of the Kutch mainland fault and the NW-SE faults.     

An insight into crack density,saturation rate,and porosity model of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake in the stable continental region of western India

The 2001 Bhuj earthquake (Mw 7.6) source zone is examined in the light of crack density (ε), saturation rate (ξ) and porosity parameter (ψ) using new data set derived from a large aftershock sequence recorded by the Gujarat seismic network (GSNet) during November, 2006–December, 2009. Processes of rupture initiations of the mainshock and its aftershock sequence are better understood by synthesizing the dynamic snapshots of the source zone using the new dataset. Pattern of crustal heterogeneities associated with high-ε, high-ξ and high-ψ anomalies at depths varying from 20 km to 25 km is similar to those of earlier study by Mishra and Zhao (2003). The anomalous zone is found extended distinctly by 50–60 km in the lateral direction, indicating the reinforcement of cracks and fractured volume of rock matrix due to long aftershock sequence since 2001 Bhuj earthquake in the source area. It is inferred that the presence of a fluid-filled fractured rock matrix with super saturation may have affected the structural and seismogenic strengths of the source zone and is still contributing significantly to the geneses of earthquakes in and around the source zone. Anomalous pattern of high-ε with wider distribution of high-ξ indicates the existence of micro-cracks in the lower crust, while high-ψ suggests the cementation of cracks through permeation of residual magma/metamorphic fluids into the hypocenter zone. The results suggest that the existence of residual fluids in the fractured rock matrix in the mid to lower crust might have played a key role in triggering the 2001 mainshock and is still responsible for its continued long aftershock sequences.     

Crustal and lithospheric thinning beneath the seismogenic Kachchh rift zone,Gujarat (India): Its implications toward the generation of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake sequence

A high-resolution passive seismic experiment in the Kachchh rift zone of the western India has produced an excellent dataset of several thousands teleseismic events. From this network, 500 good teleseismic events recorded at 14 mobile broadband sites are used to estimate receiver functions (for the 30–310° back-azimuth ranges), which show a positive phase at 4.5–6.1 s delay time and a strong negative phase at 8.0–11.0 s. These phases have been modeled by a velocity increase at Moho (i.e. 34–43 km) and a velocity decrease at 62–92 km depth. The estimation of crustal and lithospheric thicknesses using the inversion of stacked radial receiver functions led to the delineation of a marked thinning of 3–7 km in crustal thickness and 6–14 km in lithospheric thickness beneath the central rift zone relative to the surrounding un-rifted parts of the Kachchh rift zone. On an average, the Kachchh region is characterized by a thin lithosphere of 75.9 ± 5.9 km. The marked velocity decrease associated with the lithosphere–asthenoshere boundary (LAB), observed over an area of 120 km × 80 km, and the isotropic study of xenoliths from Kachchh provides evidence for local asthenospheric updoming with pockets of partial melts of CO₂ rich lherzolite beneath the Kachchh seismic zone that might have caused by rifting episode (at 88 Ma) and the associated Deccan thermal-plume interaction (at 65 Ma) episodes. Thus, the coincidence of the area of the major aftershock activity and the Moho as well as asthenospheric upwarping beneath the central Kachchh rift zone suggests that these pockets of CO₂-rich lherzolite partial melts could perhaps provide a high input of volatiles containing CO₂ into the lower crust, which might contribute significantly in the seismo-genesis of continued aftershock activity in the region. It is also inferred that large stresses in the denser and stronger lower crust (at 14–34 km depths) induced by ongoing Banni upliftment, crustal intrusive, marked lateral variation in crustal thickness and related sub-crustal thermal anomaly play a key role in nucleating the lower crustal earthquakes beneath the Kachchh seismic zone.     

Relocation of aftershocks, focal mechanisms and stress inversion: Implications toward the seismo-tectonics of the causative fault zone of Mw7.6 2001 Bhuj earthquake (India)

The HYPODD relocation of 1172 aftershocks, recorded on 8–17 three-component digital seismographs, delineate a distinct south dipping E–W trending aftershock zone extending up to 35 km depth, which involves a crustal volume of 40 km × 60 km × 35 km. The relocated focal depths delineate the presence of three fault segments and variation in the brittle–ductile transition depths amongst the individual faults as the earthquake foci in the both western and eastern ends are confined up to 28 km depth whilst in the central aftershock zone they are limited up to 35 km depth. The FPFIT focal mechanism solutions of 444 aftershocks (using 8–12 first motions) suggest that the focal mechanisms ranged between pure reverse and pure strike slip except some pure dip slip solutions. Stress inversion performed using the P and T axes of the selected focal mechanisms reveals an N181°E oriented maximum principal stress with a very shallow dip (= 14°). The stress inversions of different depth bins of the P and T axes of selected aftershocks suggest a heterogeneous stress regime at 0–30 km depth range with a dominant consistent N–S orientation of the P-axes over the aftershock zone, which could be attributed to the existence of varied nature and orientation of fractures and faults as revealed by the relocated aftershocks.     

Damage due to the Mw 7.7 Kutch, India earthquake of 2001

This paper presents a study of the damage due to the M_w 7.6–7.7 intraplate Kutch earthquake of 26 January 2001. It was a powerful earthquake with a high stress drop of about 20 MPa. Aftershocks (up to M 4) have continued for 2.5 years. The distribution of early aftershocks indicates a rupture plane of 20–25 km radius at depths of 10–45 km along an E–W-trending and south-dipping hidden fault situated approximately 25 km north of the Kutch Mainland Fault. The moment tensor solution determined from regional broadband data indicates reverse motion along a south-dipping (by 47°) fault. The earthquake is the largest event in India in the last 50 years and the most destructive in the recorded history in terms of socioeconomic losses with 13,819 deaths (including 14 in Pakistan), collapse/severe damage of over a million houses and US$10 billion economic loss. Surface faulting was not observed. However, intense land deformations have been observed in a 40×20-km meizoseismal area. These include lateral spreading, ground uplifts (about a meter), ground slumping and deep cracks. Liquefaction with ejection of sand and copious water was widespread in the Banni grassland, Rann areas (salt plains), along rivers and also in the coastal areas up to 200 km distance from the epicenter in areas of intensity VII to X+. Stray incidences of liquefaction have occurred up to distances of at least 300 km. For the first time in India, multistory buildings have been destroyed/damaged by an earthquake. The maximum acceleration is inferred to be 700 cm/s² and intensities are 1–3 units higher in soil-covered areas than expected from the decay rate of acceleration for hard rock.     

Mapping the liquefaction induced soil moisture changes using remote sensing technique: an attempt to map the earthquake induced liquefaction around Bhuj, Gujarat, India

The Bhuj earthquake (Mw = 7.9) occurred in the western part of India on 26th January 2001 and resulted in the loss of 20,000 lives and caused extensive damage to property. Soil liquefaction related ground failures such as lateral spreading caused significant damage to bridges, dams and other civil engineering structures in entire Kachchh peninsula. The Bhuj area is a part of large sedimentary basin filled with Jurassic, Tertiary and Quaternary deposits. This work pertains to mapping the areas that showed sudden increase in soil moisture after the seismic event, using remote sensing technique. Multi-spectral, spatial and temporal data sets from Indian Remote Sensing Satellite are used to derive the Liquefaction Sensitivity Index (LSeI). The basic concept behind LSeI is that the near infrared and shortwave infrared regions of electromagnetic spectrum are highly absorbed by soil moisture. Thus, the LSeI is herein used to identify the areas with increase in soil moisture after the seismic event. The LSeI map of Bhuj is then correlated with field-based observation on Cyclic Stress Ratio (CSR) and Cyclic Resistance Ratio (CRR), depth to water table, soil density and Liquefaction Severity Index (LSI). The derived LSeI values are in agreement with liquefaction susceptible criteria and observed LSI (R ² = 0.97). The results of the study indicate that the LSeI after calibration with LSI can be used as a quick tool to map the liquefied areas. On the basis of LSeI, LSI, CRR, CSR and saturation, the unconsolidated sediments of the Bhuj area are classified into three susceptibility classes.     

A media-based assessment of damage and ground motions from the january 26th, 2001<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis> 7.6 Bhuj,India earthquake

We compiled available news and internet accounts of damage and other effects from the 26th January, 2001, Bhuj earthquake, and interpreted them to obtain modified Mercalli intensities at over 200 locations throughout the Indian subcontinent. These values are used to map the intensity distribution using a simple mathematical interpolation method. The maps reveal several interesting features. Within the Kachchh region, the most heavily damaged villages are concentrated towards the western edge of the inferred fault, consistent with western directivity. Significant sedimentinduced amplification is also suggested at a number of locations around the Gulf of Kachchh to the south of the epicenter. Away from the Kachchh region intensities were clearly amplified significantly in areas that are along rivers, within deltas, or on coastal alluvium such as mud flats and salt pans. In addition we use fault rupture parameters inferred from teleseismic data to predict shaking intensity at distances of 0–1000 km. We then convert the predicted hard rock ground motion parameters to MMI using a relationship (derived from internet-based intensity surveys) that assigns MMI based on the average effects in a region. The predicted MMIs are typically lower by 1–2 units than those estimated from news accounts. This discrepancy is generally consistent with the expected effect of sediment response, but it could also reflect other factors such as a tendency for media accounts to focus on the most dramatic damage, rather than the average effects. Our modeling results also suggest, however, that the Bhuj earthquake generated more high-frequency shaking than is expected for earthquakes of similar magnitude in California, and may therefore have been especially damaging.     

Internal geometry of a thrust sheet,eastern Proterozoic belt,Godavari Valley,South India

A small thrust sheet, named Pedda Gutta thrust sheet, consisting of calcareous to cherty argillites and cherts, and juxtaposed against tidal-intertidal cross-bedded quartzites and stromatolitic and sileceous limestone in the eastern Proterozoic belt, Godavari Valley, exhibits structures comparable in style to those of the external zone of a fold-thrust mountain belt. A wide spectrum of periodic and aperiodic mesoscopic folds varying from upright ones with rounded hinges and attenuated limbs, through noncylindrical kinks to whalebacks and sheath-like forms have developed within the small volume of the thrust sheet, the preserved thickness of which is of the order of 50 metres (comparable in scale to cleavage duplexes). Cleavage development is also heterogeneous across the width of the sheet. Displacement transfer from faults to folds and vice-versa is a common feature. On the basis of the distribution of the mesoscopic structures of varying style within the sheet and localization of fault rocks, three slices (wedges) have been recognized, each bounded on the east by a thrust which is steep at the current erosion level but interpreted to be of listric form making the thrust network comparable in architecture, though not in scale, to a hinterland (west) dipping imbricate fan.