Dynamic soil properties and seismic ground response analysis for North Indian seismic belt subjected to the great Himalayan earthquakes

The paper highlights the importance of using site-specific shear modulus reduction (G/G_max versus shear strain, γ) curves and damping ratio (D versus shear strain, γ) curves for ground response analysis. In order to develop comprehensive G/G_max–γ and D–γ curves (i.e. over a wide range of strain level), two types of apparatus, viz. resonant column and cyclic simple shear, have been used. The case study considered the geological deposits from the river beds of Yamuna River originating from the Himalayan seismic zone of North India. The tests results have been analysed to develop G/G_max–γ and D–γ curves and compared with standard curves. It has been observed that upper and lower boundaries for the standard curves are remarkably different for the geological deposit under consideration. In order to assess the impact of using standard curves rather than site-specific curves, ground response analysis has been carried out at five sites along the Yamuna River using two types of curves (standard and site-specific developed in this study). The study showed that the amplification of shear waves at these sites based on the experimentally derived curves is much higher as compared to the standard curves. The proposed curves better represent dynamic behaviour of the soil deposits of the region and will provide a realistic response as far as practically possible, for the structures constructed in the states of Haryana and Delhi and nearby areas. It is anticipated that the data presented in this paper will have wide application and usage.

     

Seismotectonic study of Kishtwar region of Jammu Province using local broadband seismic data

Two moderate earthquakes of Mw 5.7 on the first of May and Mw 5.2 on the second of August occurred in the Kishtwar region in the year 2013. Our broadband seismic observatories located in the region recorded these events and the aftershocks. We analyzed these data to understand the seismotectonics of this region. Most of the events were located between 33.03° to 33.29° N latitude and 75.40° to 76.07° E longitude. Focal depths of these shallow earthquakes range from 7 to 12 km and are confined between Panjal Thrust (PT) and Kishtwar Window (KW). Spectral analysis of these events reveals that stress drop, source radius, corner frequency, and moment magnitude varied between 3.3 and 70.1 bars, 0.121 and 3.55 km, 0.397 and 6.06 Hz, and Mw 2.2 and Mw 5.7, respectively. The low stress drop of small-magnitude earthquakes reveals the brittle nature of the upper crust which is coincident with the field observations. The variation of stress drop with magnitude shows positive correlation whereas no such relation was observed between stress drop and depth of focus. The b value calculated (0.83) for the area reveals high stress accumulation within the incompetent rock zones in the area.     

Regional study on potential CO2 geosequestration in the Collie Basin and the Southern Perth Basin of Western Australia

Coal-fired power stations in Collie, Western Australia emit 10 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. This study assesses the potential opportunities of geological storage of CO₂ both within the Collie Basin and the onshore part of the adjacent Southern Perth Basin of Western Australia within 50 km of Collie town site through a desktop evaluation of existing data. The aquifers and coal formations within both basins have been evaluated for their suitability for storage based on geological, geographical and environmental criteria related to storage capacity, injectivity, proximity to sources of CO₂, location of other natural resources and containment security. The study has concluded that there is limited scope for large-scale storage of CO₂ within the Collie Basin. In addition the potential for storage within coals of either basin is not a viable solution. This assessment is based on published criteria for CO₂ storage in sedimentary basins and coal-bearing formations.     

Diatoms from surface sediments of Enderby Basin of Indian Sector of Southern Ocean

Diatoms from surface sediment samples collected from Enderby Basin of Indian Sector of Southern Ocean were analyzed to determine the relative abundance and distribution of seven key indicator diatom species viz. Sea ice related species Fragilariopsis rhombica, F. separanda, F. curta, F. ritscheri, Thalassiosira tumida and Actinocyclus actinochilus and Open Ocean species F. kerguelensis on the basis of modern physico-chemical parameters. The relative abundances of different species observed viz. F. rhombica — 6.25%; F. separanda — 12.5%; F. curta — 10.53–13.33%; F. ritscheri — 4.55–12.5%; F. kerguelensis — 6.25–63.64%; T. tumida — 3.13% and A. actinochilus — 9.38–13.33%. The increasing abundance of F. kerguelensis consecutively suggests the effect of Antarctic bottom water in the study area which is further substantiated by the presence and increasing abundance of F. ritscheri. The gradual decrease in abundance or absence of sea ice related species from the sampled stations indicates the summer and winter sea ice extent concentration in the study area. The nutrient concentration correlates with the distribution and abundances of diatom species.     

Assessment of vulnerability zones for ground water pollution using GIS-DRASTIC-EC model: A field-based approach

Assessment of groundwater vulnerability to pollution is an essential pre-requisite for better planning of an area. We present the groundwater vulnerability assessment in parts of the Yamuna Nagar District, Haryana State, India in an area of about \(800 \hbox { km}^{2}\), considered to be a freshwater zone in the foothills of the Siwalik Hill Ranges. Such areas in the Lower Himalayas form good groundwater recharge zones, and should always be free from contamination. But, the administration has been trying to promote industrialization along these foothill zones without actually assessing the environmental consequences such activities may invite in the future. GIS-DRASTIC model has been used with field based data inputs for studying the vulnerability assessment. But, we find that inclusion electrical conductivity (EC) as a model parameter makes it more robust. Therefore, we rename it as GIS-DRASTIC-EC model. The model identifies three vulnerability zones such as low, moderate and high with an areal extent of 5%, 80% and 15%, respectively. On the basis of major chemical parameters alone, the groundwater in the foothill zones apparently looks safe, but analysis with the help of GIS-DRASTIC-EC model gives a better perspective of the groundwater quality in terms of identifying the vulnerable areas.     

Assessing the resilience of Delhi to climate-related disasters: a comprehensive approach

The study addresses disaster risks in Delhi through a resilience approach. It utilizes the Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI) tool, which assesses disaster resilience from five dimensions: physical, social, economic, institutional, and natural. Each dimension comprises 5 parameters, and each parameter consists of 5 variables. The study is carried out in the nine revenue districts of Delhi and reveals that East Delhi is least resilient and New Delhi is most resilient. The CDRI analysis in East Delhi points out the urgent need to focus on key parameters such as housing and land use, population, intensity and frequency of natural hazards, ecosystem services, and land use in natural terms. On the other hand, New Delhi is the most resilient due to all five dimensions, where most significant parameters responsible for its high resilience are housing and land use, population, income, employment, intensity and frequency of natural hazards, ecosystem services, and land use in natural terms. In addition, the overall results of all nine districts show an inverse relationship between resilience score and population density. For example, districts with higher population density show low resilience and vice versa. Moreover, districts located on hazard-prone areas show low resilience. For example, East Delhi and North East Delhi scored low resilience because they both are situated on the Yamuna flood catchment areas. The study further develops key suggestions that are required to address disaster risk in all nine districts of Delhi and discusses future implications of CDRI to address city??s vulnerability. The approach??s distinctness is reflected through its consideration of micro-level diversities and presents some implications to resilience.     

Re-Os isotope systematics of sediments of the Brahmaputra River system

Re-Os analyses were performed on suspended loads and coarser grained bank sediments of the Brahmaputra River system. Re and Os concentrations of these sediments vary from 7 to 1154 ppt and from 3 to 173 ppt, respectively. ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios range from 0.178 to 6.8, and thus vary from nearly mantle to very radiogenic crustal values. Nevertheless, most of the sediments have ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios less than 1.5, and nearly all of the samples of the Brahmaputra main channel have ratios less than 1.2. Thus, as previously suggested, the Brahmaputra is much less radiogenic than the Ganga. The Siang River, the northern extension of the Brahmaputra, is quite radiogenic in Os despite receiving sediments from the Tsangpo River, which flows along a suture zone with ultramafic outcrops. The Brahmaputra main channel has a fairly constant ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio even though its tributaries contribute sediments with very heterogeneous Os isotopic compositions. These data, along with the corresponding Nd isotopic compositions, suggest that about 60-90% of the sediment in the Brahmaputra system is derived from Himalayan formations (Higher Himalaya and Lesser Himalaya) whereas 10-40% comes from ophiolite-bearing sequences, perhaps eastern equivalents of those of the Transhimalayan Plutonic Belt. Os data also confirm previously published Sr and Nd results, indicating that about half of the sediments delivered to the Brahmaputra are supplied by the Siang River, while the Himalayan and the eastern tributaries account for 40 and 10%, respectively.The lower ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os of the Brahmaputra River compared to that of the Ganga is due to two factors. One is the more limited presence of the Lesser Himalaya and hence the lower black shale content of the eastern Himalaya. The other is the non-radiogenic Os supplied by the eastern and southern tributaries, reflecting the presence of mantle-derived lithologies in this region. Despite the lower sediment supply from these tributaries, they contribute greatly to the Os budget of the Brahmaputra River. This study indicates that the Brahmaputra River has little effect on the present-day seawater Os budget. However, reconsideration of this budget suggests that the Ganga, which provides the most radiogenic Os of major rivers studied to date, may have significant impact on the marine Os isotopic composition. The Indo-Asian collision cannot be excluded as an important cause of the increase in the marine ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os over the past 16 million years until the contributions of all of the rivers draining the Himalayan Tibetan Plateau are known.