Study of weathering and erosional status of basaltic rocks using remote sensing data

In the present study an attempt has been made in order to evaluate the weathering and erosional status of a part of the Konkan coast stretching between Mumbai and Rajpuri, using IRS-IB, LISS-II data supported by spectral reflectance and thin section study of the rock samples collected from the coastal plains. The study revealed that extensive erosion has been taking place in few pockets along the Konkan Coastal plain, which is evidenced by the presence of more weathered rocks in the coastal plains as compared to that of the hinterland, siltation of the coastal wetlands due to the deposition of eroded materials and high-suspended sediments in the coastal water. The thin section study of the basaltic rock samples collected from the coast also shows evidence of physical and chemical weathering. The lineaments of the coastal tract are found to exist in clusters mostly trending towards NNE—SSW and a few N—S trending, this supports the presence of a N-S trending fault parallel to the Konkan coast along the Western Ghats. It has also been found that remote sensing, in association with other conventional techniques is ideal for such type of studies.     

Estimation of Source Parameters of M w 6.9 Sikkim Earthquake and Modeling of Ground Motions to Determine Causative Fault

In this study, source parameters of the September 18, 2011 M _w 6.9, Sikkim earthquake were determined using acceleration records. These parameters were then used to generate strong motion at a number of sites using the stochastic finite fault modeling technique to constrain the causative fault plane for this earthquake. The average values of corner frequency, seismic moment, stress drop and source radius were 0.12 Hz, 3.07 × 10²⁶ dyne-cm, 115 bars and 9.68 km, respectively. The fault plane solution showed strike-slip movement with two nodal planes oriented along two prominent lineaments in the region, the NE-oriented Kanchendzonga and NW-oriented Tista lineaments. The ground motions were estimated considering both the nodal planes as causative faults and the results in terms of the peak ground accelerations (PGA) and Fourier spectra were then compared with the actual recordings. We found that the NW–SE striking nodal plane along the Tista lineament may have been the causative fault for the Sikkim earthquake, as PGA estimates are comparable with the observed recordings. We also observed that the Fourier spectrum is not a good parameter in deciding the causative fault plane.     

Coda Q Estimates in the Andaman Islands Using Local Earthquakes

The attenuation property of Andaman Island has been investigated analyzing coda waves from 57 local earthquakes in the magnitude range of 2.0–4.9, using the single backscattering model. These earthquakes waveforms, recorded on five broadband seismographs sited over the island from north to south during Nov. 2003 to March 2004, have been used to calculate the frequency dependent Coda Q (Q _c ) applying the time domain coda-decay method. The Coda Q, computed at central frequencies from (0.5–12) Hz and five-lapse time windows from 40 to 80 s, progressively increases from 105 f ^0.88 in the north Andaman to 135 f ^0.79 in the south Andaman with an average of 119 f ^0.80. The average Q _c values vary from 75 ± 42 at 0.5 Hz to 697 ± 54 at 12 Hz central frequency for 40 s lapse time window, while for 80 s lapse time window its variation is from 117 ± 38 at 0.5 Hz to 1256 ± 115 at 12 Hz. The Q _c estimated at different lapse times manifests a significant variation from 122f ^0.75 to 174f ^0.73, corresponding to lapse time window lengths of 40 and 80 s, respectively. The variation of Q _c with frequency, lapse time and also with the location of seismograph reflects the marked structural and compositional inhomogeneity with depth along the Andaman Islands. These observations are well correlated with the seismicity pattern and distinct high angle subduction beneath the island.     

Comparison of Fusion Techniques for Very High Resolution Data for Extraction of Urban Land-Cover

This paper aims in presenting a thorough comparison of performance of pan sharpening techniques, belonging to spatial, spectral, scale-space and spatial-frequency domain, for Very High Resolution Satellite Data. With the availability of new Very High Resolution sensors, especially, World View-2 sensor, which provides data at sub-meter level, the need for fusion of Panchromatic (PAN) and Multispectral (MS) images has to be further investigated. Pan-sharpening techniques namely, Hue-Saturation-Intensity, Brovey Transform, Principal Components Analysis, Discrete Wavelet Transform, Stationary Wavelet Transform, Non Sub-sampled contourlet Transform and Pseudo Wigner Distribution (PWD) fusion method have been selected for the fusion of PAN and MS images of World View-2 sensor. Further, the comparison of performance of each of the techniques have been carried out by using various evaluation indicators, such as, Root Mean Square Error, Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio, Correlation Coefficient, Universal Image Quality Index. It is found that PWD based fusion technique gives good result with a good trade-off between the preservation of spectral information and enhancement of spatial resolution.     

Modeling of strong ground motions for 1991 Uttarkashi, 1999 Chamoli earthquakes, and a hypothetical great earthquake in Garhwal–Kumaun Himalaya

In this study, stochastic finite fault modeling is used to simulate Uttarkashi (1991) and Chamoli (1999) earthquakes using all available source, path, and site parameters available for the region. These two moderate earthquakes are recorded at number of stations of a strong motion network. The predicted peak ground accelerations at these stations are compared with the observed data and the ground motion parameters are constrained. The stress drop of Uttarkashi and Chamoli earthquakes is constrained at 77 and 65?bars, respectively, whereas the quality factor Q _C is 112 $ f^{0.97} $ and 149 $ f^{0.95} $ for these two regions. The high-frequency attenuation parameter Kappa is in the range 0.04?C0.05. The constrained ground motion parameters are then used to simulate Mw 8.5 earthquake in central seismic gap region of Himalaya. Two scenarios are considered with epicenter of future great earthquake at locations of Uttarkashi and Chamoli earthquakes using above constrained parameters. The most vulnerable towns are the towns of Dehradun and Almora where expected PGA is in excess of 600?cm/s² at V_S30 520?m/s when the epicenter of the great earthquake is at the location of Uttarkashi (1991) earthquake. The towns of Shimla and Chandigarh can expect PGA close to 200?cm/s². Whereas when the epicenter of the great earthquake is at the location of Chamoli (1999) earthquake, the towns of Dehradun and Almora can expect PGA of around 500 and 400?cm/s², respectively, at V_S30 620?m/s. The National Capital Region, Delhi can expect accelerations of around 80?cm/s² in both the cases. The PGA contour maps obtained in this study can be used to assess the seismic hazard of the region and identify vulnerable areas in and around central Himalaya from a future great earthquake.     

Occurrence and Emplacement of Chromite Ores in Sindhudurg District,Maharashtra, India

<正>In the present study,we present the occurrence and emplacement of chromite ore deposits from two abandoned mines(Kankavali[Janoli]and Wagda) in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra,India.These ores,that occurred as lenses and are associated with metamorphic and ultrabasic rocks,consist of octahedral grains of chromite,while clinochlore is present between the interstices of these grains.The Kankavali(Janoli) and Wagda ores revealed a dominance of Cr_2O_3 followed by FeO and variable proportions of A1_2O_3,MgO,and SiO_2.The former deposits have a slightly higher Cr_2O_3(average 52 wt%) and FeO(～18 wt%) than those from Wagda(Cr_2O_3～50 wt%,FeO～25 wt%).The similar Cr~# values(0.73 for Kankavali[Janoli],0.74 for Wagda) correspond to those reported for typical podiform-type chromite deposits.We suggest that the ores were emplaced as phacoliths in folded outcrops with a steep easterly dip and a northwest-southeast trend.We postulate the continuation of the fold structure from Janoli to Wagda(～4.5 km apart) and the probable (sporadic) occurrence of chromite along this stretch.The possibility of the contribution of chromite grains from these areas to the coastal placer deposits cannot be ruled out.     

Characteristics of seismic wave attenuation in the Kishtwar and its adjoining region of NW Himalaya

Journal of Seismology - We investigate the attenuation characteristics of high frequency seismic waves in the Kishtwar and its adjoining region of NW Himalaya using 161 local earthquakes (M...