Abstract

This seminar will describe three inter-related studies, which together shed new light on the rheology and dynamics of the Indian plate and the Tibetan Plateau. I will describe force-balance calculations which can be used to estimate the forces acting upon the Indian plate, and quantify the effects of the India-Asia collision upon the motion of the plate. I will then describe a joint inversion of seismic and geodetic data for the distribution of slip in the 2001 Mw 7.6 Bhuj earthquake. By comparing the stress drop in the earthquake with the total force exerted upon the Indian plate by the Tibetan Plateau (estimated from the force-balance calculations) it is possible to investigate the rheology of the Indian lithosphere. Finally, I will discuss the effects of this Indian lithosphere rheology upon the deformation of the Tibetan Plateau, describing how spatial variations in tectonic regime within the plateau are related to the material properties of the Indian material which underthrusts its southern margin.