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Large paleoearthquake timing and displacement near Damak in eastern Nepal on the Himalayan Frontal Thrust
Author(s) -
Wesnousky Steven G.,
Kumahara Yasuhiro,
Chamlagain Deepak,
Pierce Ian K.,
Reedy Tabor,
Angster Stephen J.,
Giri Bibek
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl074270
Subject(s) - geology , thrust , seismology , fault scarp , thrust fault , slip (aerodynamics) , displacement (psychology) , fault plane , magnitude (astronomy) , geodesy , fault (geology) , physics , psychology , astronomy , psychotherapist , thermodynamics
An excavation across the Himalayan Frontal Thrust near Damak in eastern Nepal shows displacement on a fault plane dipping ~22° has produced vertical separation across a scarp equal to 5.5 m. Stratigraphic, structural, geometrical, and radiocarbon observations are interpreted to indicate that the displacement is the result of a single earthquake of 11.3 ± 3.5 m of dip‐slip displacement that occurred 1146–1256 A.D. Empirical scaling laws indicate that thrust earthquakes characterized by average displacements of this size may produce rupture lengths of 450 to >800 km and moment magnitudes M w of 8.6 to >9. Sufficient strain has accumulated along this portion of the Himalayan arc during the roughly 800 years since the 1146–1256 A.D. earthquake to produce another earthquake displacement of similar size.