Remote sensing-GIS and GPR studies of two active faults, Western Gangetic Plains, India

Abstract

Northern parts of the Ganga–Yamuna Interfluve in the Gangetic Plains, India have been investigated by remote sensing and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) techniques. Digital analysis of remote sensing data and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques were used to locate a new active transverse Muzaffarnagar Fault and confirmed an earlier described Solani-II Fault in almost flat or gently sloping terrain. The Solani-II and Muzaffarnagar faults are members of two major systems of surficial faults i.e. longitudinal and transverse faults, respectively. Longitudinal faults are curvilinear in nature, trending N–S in the northern regions and veering to E–W in the southern regions of the plains and transverse faults are normal to the longitudinal faults occurring in the Upper Gangetic plains. GPR survey was carried out by common offset method across the Muzaffarnagar and the Solani-II faults, using a 100 MHz antenna. Our GPR data indicate that both regions around the Solani-II Fault and Muzaffarnagar Fault are characterized by 2–3 major steeply dipping normal faults at shallow depth (< 20 m). One of the major faults is always associated with cliffs on the surface. In addition, a number of smaller synthetic and antithetic faults are present, thus forming members of an array covering wide regions. Also, several small folds observed in all the three radargrams which are probably seismites. Both the Solani-II and Muzaffarnagar faults probably developed at about 2.5 ka and almost at the same time fans were deposited on the downthrown block of the Muzaffarnagar Fault.