Seismic Coupling Quantified on Inferred Décollements Beneath the Western Syntaxis of the Himalaya

Abstract

AbstractWe used episodic GNSS measurements to quantify the present‐day velocity field in the northwestern Himalaya from the Himalayan foreland to the Karakoram Range. We report a progressive N‐S compressional velocity gradient with two noticeable exceptions: in the Salt Range, where important southward velocities are recorded, and in Nanga Parbat, where an asymmetrical E‐W velocity gradient is recorded. A review of Quaternary slip along active thrusts both in and out of sequence allows us to propose a 14 mm/yr shortening rate. This constraint, together with a geometrical model of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT), allows us to propose estimations of the slip distributions along the active faults. The lower flat of the MHT is characterized by ductile slip, whereas the coupling increases along the crustal ramp and along the upper flat of the MHT. The basal thrust of the Potwar Plateau and Salt Range presents weak coupling, which is interpreted as the existence of a massive salt layer forming an excellent décollement. In the central part of the frontal Salt Range, the velocities suggest the existence of a southward horizontal flux in the massive salt layer. The simulations also suggest that the velocities recorded in Nanga Parbat can be explained by active westward thrusting along the fault that borders the massif to the west. Simulations suggest that the slip along this fault evolves with depth from 5 mm/yr ductile slip near the MHT to no slip along the upper part of the fault.