Seismology

Seismological Imaging Group (SIG) is primarily focused on studying crust-mantle structure and earthquake generation processes through advanced mathematical tools to better image the interior of the Earth at a variety of scales, using local, regional and teleseismic earthquake datasets. Through the state-of-the-art seismic imaging technology, analysing the full waveform contents of high-quality seismic data, and relying on high-performance computing, we aim to gain insight into the seismogenesis of earthquakes and geodynamic processes of the Earth's interior. A wide range of passive seismological analyses (shear-wave splitting, receiver-function analysis, surface-wave inversion) is used to address the chosen problems related to Geodynamics and Tectonics of the Indian lithosphere. Current research areas also include high-precision earthquake location, the earthquake energy budget, earthquake scaling, triggered tremor, earthquake detection, source imaging, and reliable ground motion prediction. Recent and ongoing areas of investigation are the Northwest and Kashmir Himalaya, the Indo-Burma arc, the Dharwar craton, the Deccan Volcanic Province, the Kachchh Rift and the Eastern Indian craton. 

In October 2017, the CSIR-NGRI has installed a semi-permanent seismic network of 76 broadband and 19 strong-motion stations in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh districts of the Himalayan region. The broadband data from this newly deployed seismic network shall be used to map the crust-mantle structure and more so the geometry of the decollement zone or the main Himalayan thrust in 3-D, which has been the locale for nucleation of large magnitude earthquakes in Himalaya.

During 2017-18, a seismic network consisting of 20 broadband seismographs and 20 strong-motion accelerographs has been installed in Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya, by scientists of SIG. The seismological data from this network shall be used to study the crust-mantle structure, seismogenesis of earthquakes, and seismic hazard of the region.