Research Projects

Faults are found in the Earth's crust, with some exhibiting stick-slip behavior and others exhibiting creeping faults. Creeping faults slip continuously without generating large earthquakes due to increased frictional strength and the presence of minerals like phyllosilicates, serpentine, and talc. Fluids also promote aseismic creep by facilitating dissolution creep and reducing effective normal pressure. However, the relationship between aseismic creep on a fault and its composition and fluids is not straightforward. Experimental studies have shown that phyllosilicates and serpentine can weaken at high slip speeds, while compositional heterogeneity in fault rocks leads to significant reduction in fault zone strength, promoting seismic slip. Numerical models show that shear heating of pore fluids can lead to a change from aseismic to seismic slip. The proposed study aims to investigate the Churachandpur-Mao fault (CMF), a prominent structure in the Indo-Burma Wedge (IBW) with complex kinematic history. The CMF is hypothesized to exhibit aseismic creep based on GPS velocity-based modeling and lack of historical earthquakes. Existing datasets provide indirect evidence of aseismic creep, but the ground-truth of these models remains elusive. A systematic study is needed to explore the geometry and kinematics of the CMF over time and analyze deformation mechanisms within the CMF and the composition of fault rocks. This integrated geological investigation will expand our understanding of deformation in creeping faults and provide key insights into the evolution of the IBW.