A Report on Broadband Seismological Experiment in the Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya (JAKSNET)

Abstract

Abstract A significant Himalayan seismic gap lies between the 2005 Mw 7.6 Kashmir earthquake and the 1905 Mw 7.8 Kangra earthquake, across Jammu and Kashmir, in the northwestern Himalaya. The last great earthquake in this region was the 1555 Mw∼8.0 earthquake, with its meisoseismal zone spanning the entire gap. Recent Global Positioning System geodetic studies have shown that sufficient strain have accumulated in this seismic gap to drive a future Mw∼8.0 earthquake. Seismic hazard assessment in Jammu and Kashmir has been limited by the lack of modern geophysical instrumentation. Very little is known about the crustal structure and earthquake source in this region. Since July 2013, a seismological network (Jammu and Kashmir Seismological Network [JAKSNET]) of 24 broadband three-component seismograph systems have been installed across Jammu and Kashmir, under joint collaborative efforts between Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, and University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Data from this network are archived at the IISER Kolkata seismological observatory and are presently restricted for seismological studies by the participating organizations. The network will be in operation till 2022 and three years after the completion of the experiment the data will be made available following the data sharing policies of the funding agency and the Government of India. In this report, we analyze station noise characteristics and demonstrate that the network performance meets the international standards. We also demonstrate that these stations have recorded high-quality local, regional, and teleseismic data. These dataset are being used for estimation of velocity structure, attenuation characteristics, and earthquake source studies.