Global Positioning System (GPS) Constraints on Inter-Plate and Intra-Plate Deformation of the Indian Subcontinent

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Bilham 0003449 This is a five-year collaboration with Indian scientists (Bangalore, Bombay and Wadia Institute) to unravel the details of movement and deformation of the Indian plate. The investigators expect to constrain the rotation rate of India, the rate of change of convergence velocity along the Himalayan arc, and some of the details of giant earthquakes that have ruptured there in the past two centuries using Global Positioning System geodesy. Geodetic measurements within India will reveal the rate at which the Indian plate is deforming and provide insights into the rate of occurrence, and possible location, of future mid-plate earthquakes. The recent Bhuj M=7.6 earthquake whose study has been initiated as part of this project, has many similarities to the infrequent great mid-plate earthquakes that afflicted North America in the early 19th century. Seismic hazard findings from India are thus likely not only to benefit mid-21st-century India, when it will be the most populous country in the world, but also the USA, the country that has the most to lose economically from future mid-plate earthquakes. This work also includes measurements of absolute gravity, as well as maintenance and upgrade of the F5 absolute gravimeter. Additionally, startup funds from INT are included for collaboration with Pakistani colleagues at the University of Peshewar for a geodynamic study of the western edge of the Indian Plate.