[S-CG40] Active Tectonics and Seismic Hazards in the Himalayan Region

[SCG40-02] Active Tectonics & Seismological Research in Nepal Himalaya: Preliminary results from SATREPS project

*Soma Nath Sapkota¹, Kazuki Koketsu², Hiroe Miyake³, Koji Okumura⁴, Prakash Pokhrel⁵ (1.Retired Director General, Department of Mines and Geology, Kathmandu Nepal, 2.Professor, Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo Japan, 3.Associate Professor, Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo Japan, 4.Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Japan, 5.Geologist, Department of Mines and Geology, Kathmandu Nepal)

Keywords:Central Himalayan Seismic Gap , Return Period, Paleoseismology, GNSS stations

Knowing the return period and possible impact of great and megaquake in Nepal Himalaya is key to mitigate impending seismic risk in this region. To understand and evaluate seismic risk, Deapartment of Mineas and Geology (DMG), Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC), and Tribhuwan University (TU) in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan Science and Technology (JST) and Earthquake Research Institute (ERI) of Tokyo University are collaborating through Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) project for Seismic Hazard assessment of Kathmandu valley and quantifying central Himalayan seismic gap between 2015 Gorkha Earthquake and 1905 Kangra earthquake.

Many geological and geophysical survey are conducted in Kathmandu valley to calculate and predict the different parameter of thick sediment (approx. 600m) of Kathmandu valley during impending big earthquake. Permanent eight GNSS station of Global Positioning System and eight seismic stations are installed which are now connected to the national network and will enhance the monitoring capacity of Nepalese network. This will ultimately improve the location accuracy to report earthquake parameter to the government authority. Paeloseismological trenching is also conducted in Butwal, Tribeni, Bagmati and Kathmandu valley preliminary promising results are coming from different Geophysical campaign experiment in Kathmandu valley, Geomorphological and paleoseismological trenching in Himalayan front which will be discussed.