Time-predictable model applicability for earthquake occurrence in northeast India and vicinity

Abstract

Northeast India and its vicinity is one of the seismically most active regions in the world, where a few large and several moderate earthquakes have occurred in the past. In this study the region of northeast India has been considered for an earthquake generation model using earthquake data as reported by earthquake catalogues National Geophysical Data Centre, National Earthquake Information Centre, United States Geological Survey and from book prepared by Gupta et al. (1986) for the period 1906–2008. The events having a surface wave magnitude of <I>M</I>_s&ge;5.5 were considered for statistical analysis. In this region, nineteen seismogenic sources were identified by the observation of clustering of earthquakes. It is observed that the time interval between the two consecutive mainshocks depends upon the preceding mainshock magnitude (<I>M</I>_p) and not on the following mainshock (<I>M</I>_f). This result corroborates the validity of time-predictable model in northeast India and its adjoining regions. A linear relation between the logarithm of repeat time (<I>T</I>) of two consecutive events and the magnitude of the preceding mainshock is established in the form Log<I>T</I> = <I>cM</I>_p+</I>a</I>, where "<I>c</I>" is a positive slope of line and "<I>a</I>" is function of minimum magnitude of the earthquake considered. The values of the parameters "<I>c</I>" and "<I>a</I>" are estimated to be 0.21 and 0.35 in northeast India and its adjoining regions. The less value of c than the average implies that the earthquake occurrence in this region is different from those of plate boundaries. The result derived can be used for long term seismic hazard estimation in the delineated seismogenic regions.