Research Projects

The Kangra Valley Fault (KVF), a significant right-lateral strike-slip fault in the northwest Himalayas, is linked to the devastating 1905 Kangra earthquake (Mw 7.8), which resulted in over 20,000 fatalities. Spanning approximately 60 km with fault scarps ranging from 1.2 to 14 meters, the KVF has a documented history of multiple large earthquakes between 900 B.C. and 1905 A.D. However, critical gaps remain in understanding its Holocene slip rate (both single event slip rate and logn term sliprate), deformation patterns, and interaction with nearby faults of the KVF fault system. This study will undertake classical 3D trenching investigation of a strike-slip fault to reconstruct the rupture history of KVF and precisely quantify its Holocene slip rate (both single event slip rate and logn term sliprate). The 3D trenching methodology, combined with high-resolution dating, will provide unprecedented insights into fault geometry, displacement patterns, and co-seismic behavior. This innovative approach will help map deformation across multiple fault strands and determine how slip is distributed. The slip rate derived from paleoseismic investigations will be compared with GPS-measured slip rates to evaluate how deformation is partitioned between the KVF and nearby faults, contributing to the total regional strain budget. This comparison is critical for understanding strain accumulation, fault interactions, and seismic hazard distribution in the Himalayan frontal arc. This study will not only advance our understanding of the seismotectonic behaviour of KVF but also set a benchmark for future paleoseismic investigations in India, enhancing seismic hazard models and contributing to better risk mitigation strategies for densely populated areas in the Kangra Valley and surrounding regions. The detailed fault characterization using both geophysics and paleoseismology will be used for the delineation of the Fault Avoidance Zone (FAZ), which may be used for sustainable urban planning, like available for major striek sip faults of the world such as the Alpine fault in New Zealand and the San Andreas Fault in the USA.