Geodynamic Implications for 2005 North Pakistan Earthquake in the Hazara-Kashmir syntaxial area

What is it about?

We propose here that the 8 October 2005 North Pakistan earthquake occurred beneath the wedge-top of Balakot Formation in the Hazara-Kashmir syntaxial area. Slip occurred along the Muzaffarabad thrust, a southeast extended part of the Indus-Kohistan seismic zone. Tectonic loading of the high-density wedge/thrust sheet between the wedgetop and the descending Indian lithosphere coupled with continued flexural tectonics provoked this earthquake. The obliquely converging Indian plate along with block rotations led to development of a pinned zone around Northwestern Syntaxis of the Himalayas. Strain adjustment related to the rotational deformation processes resulted in the buckling of the more competent rock-units sandwiched between the less competent rock-units around the Hazara-Kashmir syntaxis. The western limb of the buckled unit gave rise to the development of thrusts and associated oblique slip in the inner arc of the competent rockunit. The observations demonstrate reactivated tectonic movement along the growing fracture-tip of the buried Riasi thrust.

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Why is it important?

The Indus-Kohistan seismic zone is related to reactivated tectonic movement along the growing fracture-tip of the buried Riasi thrust.