Title | Constraints on the shallow deformation around the Main Frontal Thrust in central Nepal from refraction velocities |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2020 |
Authors | Liu Y, Hubbard J, Almeida RV, Foster A, Liberty L, Lee YSin, Sapkota SNath |
Journal | Tectonophysics |
Volume | 777 |
Date Published | 02/2020 |
Abstract | The youngest fault system in the Himalayan orogeny is the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), the frontal ramp of the Main Himalayan Thrust, which is expected to host the largest and most damaging earthquakes in Nepal. We characterize the upper few hundred meters below the surface across two MFT fault strands using ten high-resolution seismic profiles that we acquired in 2014 and 2015 with a 6-tonne Vibroseis source. We use first arrival picks from 625,416 seismic traces to derive P-wave seismic velocity models using a wavepath eikonal traveltime inversion method, and derive estimates of alluvium thickness and water table depth across these faults (the Patu and Bardibas thrusts), allowing us to constrain the subsurface geometry of the MFT. |
DOI | 10.1016/j.tecto.2020.228366 |