The source of the great Assam earthquake — an interplate wedge motion

Abstract

The source of the Assam earthquake of Aug. 15, 1950 is revealed from amplitude observations of surface and body waves at Pasadena, Tokyo and Bergen. Seiches' amplitudes in Norway, initial P motions throughout the world, aftershocks and landslides distribution, PP/P ratio at Tokyo, R/L ratio and directivity at Pasadena, are also used. The ensuing fault geometry and kinematics is consistent with the phenomenology of the event and the known geology of the source area. It is found that a progressive strike-slip rupture with velocity 3 km/sec took place on a fault of length 250 km and width 80 km striking 330–337° east of north and dipping 55–60° to ENE. The use of exact surface-wave theory and asymptotic body-wave theory which takes into account finiteness and absorption, rendered an average shear dislocation of 35 m. A three-dimensional theory for the excitation of seiches in lakes by the horizontal acceleration of surface waves was developed. It is confirmed that Love waves near Bergen generated seiches with peak amplitude up to 70 cm depending strongly on the width of the channel. It is believed that the earthquake was caused by a motion of the Asian plate relative to the eastern flank of the Indian plate where the NE Assam block is imparted a tendency of rotation with fracture lines being developed along its periphery. Comparison with other well-studied earthquakes shows that although the magnitude of the Assam event superseded that of all earthquakes since 1950, its potency U 0d S (700,000 m × km 2) was inferior to that of Alaska 1964 (1,560,000 m × km 2) and Chile 1960 (1,020,000 m × km 2).