Preliminary observations from a trench near Chandigarh, NW Himalaya and their bearing on active faulting

摘要

Evidence of two parallel to sub-parallel active-fault traces along the Himalayan Front around Chandigarh has provided additional information on the imbricated faulting pattern that branches out from the Himalayan Frontal Thrust system, which probably merges down northward with decollement. Displacement in terraces along these branching faults and the maximum height of the scarp (38 m) suggest continued tectonic movement since late Pleistocene and cumulative slip along the faults. The preliminary trench investigation across the young fault reveals a total displacement of 3.5 m along a thrust fault, indicating remnant of one large-magnitude prehistoric earthquake.