Persistent volcanic signature observed around Barren Island, Andaman Sea, India

This study delineates the formation of a warm pool (>34°C) of air to the west (downwind) of the active volcano of the Barren Island during October–November 2005. Barren Island is located in the Sumatra–Andaman region, about 135 km east of Port Blair, and lies within the Burma microplate, the southern tip of which experienced a submarine earthquake (M _w 9.3) causing a tsunami in December 2004. Barren Island is the only volcano, which has shown sustained eruptive activity since shortly after the Great Sumatran Earthquake of December 2004. Our observations require further corroboration to relate how submarine earthquakes activate volcanoes and how far these thermal emissions influence climate changes. Because it links global warming and climate changes to the frequent emissions from a volcano activated by submarine earthquakes, this case study is of special interest to the earth-ocean-atmosphere sciences community.     

Shallow seismicity, stress distribution and crustal deformation pattern in the Andaman-West Sunda arc and Andaman Sea, northeastern Indian Ocean

Shallow seismicity and available source mechanisms in the Andaman–westSunda arc and Andaman sea region suggest distinct variation in stressdistribution pattern both along and across the arc in the overriding plate.Seismotectonic regionalisation indicates that the region could be dividedinto eight broad seismogenic sources of relatively homogeneousdeformation. Crustal deformation rates have been determined for each oneof these sources based on the summation of moment tensors. The analysisshowed that the entire fore arc region is dominated by compressive stresseswith compression in a mean direction of N23^°, and the rates ofseismic deformation velocities in this belt decrease northward from 5.2± 0.65 mm/yr near Nias island off Sumatra and 1.12 ±0.13 mm/yr near Great Nicobar islands to as much as 0.4 ±0.04 mm/yr north of 8^°N along Andaman–Nicobar islandsregion. The deformation velocities indicate, extension of 0.83 ±0.05 mm/yr along N343^° and compression of 0.19 ±0.01 mm/yr along N73^° in the Andaman back arc spreadingregion, extension of 0.18 ± 0.01 mm/yr along N125^° andcompression of 0.16 ± 0.01 mm/yr along N35^° in NicobarDeep and west Andaman fault zone, compression of 0.84 ±0.12 mm/yr N341^° and extension of 0.77 ± 0.11 mm/yralong N72^° within the transverse tectonic zone in the Andamantrench, N-S compression of 3.19 ± 0.29 mm/yr and an E-Wextension of 1.24 ± 0.11 mm/yr in the Semangko fault zone ofnorth Sumatra. The vertical deformation suggests crustal thinning in theAndaman sea and crustal thickening in the fore arc and Semangko faultzones. The apparent stresses calculated for all major events range between0.1–10 bars and the values increase with increasing seismic moment.However, the apparent stress estimates neither indicate any significantvariation with faulting type nor display any variation across the arc, incontrast to the general observation that the fore arc thrust events showhigher stress levels in the shallow subduction zones. It is inferred that theoblique plate convergence, partial subduction of 90^°E Ridge innorth below the Andaman trench and the active back arc spreading are themain contributing factors for the observed stress field within the overridingplate in this region.     

Facies Clustering in Turbidite Successions: Case Study from Andaman Flysch Group, Andaman Islands, India

Bed thickness data of two turbidite sections viz., Corbyn's Cove section, South Andaman and Kalipur section, North Andaman those belong to Oligocene Andaman Flysch Group, a forearc submarine fan system, were assessed for facies clustering employing Hurst statistics. Both the sections show Hurst phenomenon and reveal clustering in terms of thick and thin beds. Forcing behind event (bed) depositions in either of the studied sections was assessed statistically and inferred to be non-random and with cyclicities of irregular physical length. The inferred paleogeography through Hurst criteria though worked well for distal fan setting i.e., basin floor sheet sandstones of Corbyn's Cove section, its unequivocal application in proximal fan deposits remains to be tested. The mismatch in paleogeographic interpretation between Hurst test result (lobe-interlobe) and field observation (channel-levee) for the inner fan deposit is explained through differential facies stacking between fans grow in sea-level lowstand and highstand. Lower bed amalgamation, poor sand to mud ratio and subordinately present thick event deposits may be the result of active growth of Andaman Flysch fan in sea level highstand and expressed in lower Hurst K value for inner fan channel-levee association (Kalipur section) compared to many of the channel-levee deposits of lowstand fan systems observed world over.     

High-Ti type N-MORB parentage of basalts from the south Andaman ophiolite suite,India

A complete dismembered sequence of ophiolite is well exposed in the south Andaman region that mainly comprises ultramafic cumulates, serpentinite mafic plutonic and dyke rocks, pillow lava, radiolarian chert, and plagiogranite. Pillow lavas of basaltic composition occupy a major part of the Andaman ophiolite suite (AOS). These basalts are well exposed all along the east coast of southern part of the south AOS. Although these basalts are altered due to low-grade metamorphism and late hydrothermal processes, their igneous textures are still preserved. These basalts are mostly either aphyric or phyric in nature. Aphyric type exhibits intersertal or variolitic textures, whereas phyric variety shows porphyritic or sub-ophitic textures. The content of alkalies and silica classify these basalts as sub-alkaline basalts and alkaline basalts. A few samples show basaltic andesite, trachy-basalt, or basanitic chemical composition. High-field strength element (HFSE) geochemistry suggests that studied basalt samples are probably derived from similar parental magmas. Al₂O₃/TiO₂ and CaO/TiO₂ ratios classify these basalts as high-Ti type basalt. On the basis of these ratios and many discriminant functions and diagrams, it is suggested that the studied basalts, associated with Andaman ophiolite suite, were derived from magma similar to N-MORB and emplaced in the mid-oceanic ridge tectonic setting.     

基于多源卫星遥感数据的安达曼海及其邻近海域内波分布特征分析

安达曼海是内波频繁发生的海区之一,对其内波的研究是当今海洋研究的热点。本文利用2013—2016年间覆盖整个安达曼海的3 000多幅Terra/Aqua MODIS、GF-1、Landsat-8、Sentinel-1 等卫星遥感图像,从中提取和解译了内波波列线和波向信息,得到安达曼海海洋内波的时间分布特征,并绘制了内波空间分布图。结果表明,安达曼海及其邻近海域内波主要出现在4个区域:苏门答腊岛以北海域、安达曼海中部海域、安达曼海北部海域以及尼科巴群岛以西海域,尺度较大的内波主要分布在苏门答腊岛以北海域和安达曼海中部海域。在时间分布上,2013—2016年间安达曼海内波的年发生次数相近;在热季、雨季及冬季遥感都能观测到内波的发生;2-4月遥感观测到的内波最多,其次为8、9月,7月遥感观测到的内波较少,这可能是由于雨季光学影像受云影响,安达曼海海域晴空影像过少造成,还需要借助更多的遥感影像进一步证明。在波向上,安达曼海多数内波向岸传播,在苏门答腊岛北部、安达曼海中部海域,内波向东或向东南传播;在安达曼群岛东部,内波向东传播,传播一定距离后与海底地形交互作用,一部分继续向前传播,一部分产生反射,向西南方向传播至安达曼群岛;在尼科巴群岛以西海域,内波由尼科巴群岛向孟加拉湾传播。     

安达曼海内孤立波的潜标观测分析研究

安达曼海是内孤立波生成最多的海域之一,目前对其研究大多基于卫星遥感,缺乏基于现场观测资料的相关研究。本文通过2016年至2017年布放在安达曼海中部的锚系潜标对该海域内孤立波的方向和强度进行研究,结果表明在研究区域内孤立波主要向东北方向传播,最大振幅可达100 m。应用彻体力理论预测了研究海域内孤立波波源的分布,与遥感统计结果基本一致,并且波源位置更精确,可直观地给出不同波源激发内孤立波的能力。本文分别用浅水方程、深水方程和有限深方程对安达曼海中部内孤立波相速度进行模拟,结合卫星遥感分析发现该海域内孤立波的产生符合Lee波机制,在三种方程中有限深方程的模拟效果与潜标观测最相符。     

2016下半年安达曼海潮、余流观测分析

The characteristics of currents and tidal currents in the Andaman Sea(AS) are studied during the second half of2016 using observed data from a moored acoustic Doppler current profiler(ADCP) deployed at 8.6°N, 95.6°E.During the observation period, the mean flow is 5–10 cm/s and largely southward. The root mean square and kinetic energies of the low and high frequency flows, which are divided by a cutoff period of 5 d, are at the same level, indicating their identical importance to the total current. A power spectrum analysis shows that intraseasonal oscillations, a tidal-related semilunar month signal, a semidiurnal tidal signal and periods of 3–4 d are prominent. The barocliny of an eddy kinetic energy is stronger than the mean kinetic energy, both of which are the strongest on the bottom and the weakest at 70 m depth. Residual currents are largely southward(northward) during the summer(winter) monsoon season. Two striking peaks of the southward flow cause the 80 d period of meridional currents. The first peak is part of a large-scale circulation, which enters the AS through the northern channel and exits through the southern channel, and the second peak is part of a local vortex. The 40 d oscillation of the zonal current is forced by geostrophic variations attributed to local and equatorial remote forcing. The tidal current is dominated by semidiurnal constituents, and among these, M2 and N2 are the top two largest major axes. Moreover, astronomical tidal constituents MM and MSF are also significant. Diurnal constituents are weak and shallow water tides are ignorable. The aims are to introduce the new current data observed in the AS and to provide initial insights for the tidal and residual currents in the Andaman Sea.     

Structural Characteristics of the Andaman Forearc Inferred from Interpretation of Multichannel Seismic Reflection Data

The Andaman Forearc Basin(AFB) is asymmetric in configuration and filled with a ~6 kmthick pile of Neogene to Recent sediments(~4 s in two-way travel time:TWT) with distinct zonation.It shows gradual thinning up to ~3 km(0.8 s in TWT) towards the eastern end with a seabed gradient of 1:30.Thick deformed sediments ~2 s(TWT) of the Outerarc are associated with intense faulting and occasional folding caused by recent tectonics.Development of a series of faults within the upwarped sedimentary column of Oligocene top to Recent is observed with a rotated fault block.These features are manifestations of Recent igneous intrusion,and reveal the presence of a mild N–S compressional regime.Its effect on the AFB resulted in further uplift of sediments,which can now be seen as the Invisible Bank.Forward gravity modelling supporting our seismic interpretation reveals that it is associated with igneous intrusion from the Moho(~9 km depth),and also suggests that continental crust underlies the AFB.Strong Bottom Simulating Reflector(BSR)-like features in the Miocene sediments of Outerarc and Forearc basin at a depth of 0.6 s below the seabed suggest the inferred probable occurrence of gas hydrates in the AFB.     

Short-Term Morphological and Shoreline Changes at Trinkat Island,Andaman and Nicobar,India, After the 2004 Tsunami

The tsunami waves generated during the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004 devastated the coastal area along Trinkat Island, causing sudden changes to the morphology of the landforms. This study uses a series of satellite images to record the short-term morphological response and shoreline changes as well as the recovery of coastal land after its destruction. Results indicate that the island experienced substantial erosion and a significant reduction in land area. Shoreline erosion is more prevalent than accretion at an average linear regression rate of ～?9 m per year between 2004 and 2013. The major morphological changes at Trinkat Island were observed in coastal inlets, beaches, and bay head-lands. Straight beaches had almost recovered eight years after the tsunami; however, erosion is continually observed in other areas. Our study will help understanding the response and recovery of shorelines in Indian Ocean regions after the 2004 tsunami.     

Repeating aftershocks of the great 2004 Sumatra and 2005 Nias earthquakes

We investigate repeating aftershocks associated with the great 2004 Sumatra–Andaman (Mw 9.2) and 2005 Nias–Simeulue (Mw 8.6) earthquakes by cross-correlating waveforms recorded by the regional seismographic station PSI and teleseismic stations. We identify 10 and 18 correlated aftershock sequences associated with the great 2004 Sumatra and 2005 Nias earthquakes, respectively. The majority of the correlated aftershock sequences are located near the down-dip end of a large afterslip patch. We determine the precise relative locations of event pairs among these sequences and estimate the source rupture areas. The correlated event pairs identified are appropriately referred to as repeating aftershocks, in that the source rupture areas are comparable and significantly overlap within a sequence. We use the repeating aftershocks to estimate afterslip based on the slip-seismic moment scaling relationship and to infer the temporal decay rate of the recurrence interval. The estimated afterslip resembles that measured from the near-field geodetic data to the first order. The decay rate of repeating aftershocks as a function of lapse time t follows a power-law decay 1/t^p with the exponent p in the range 0.8–1.1. Both types of observations indicate that repeating aftershocks are governed by post-seismic afterslip.