Fractal Geometry of Faults and Seismicity of Koyna-Warna Region West India Using LANDSAT Images

Abstract

The Koyna-Warna region has been shaken by several earthquakes greater than magnitude 4 in the last 35 years. Four of them in 1967Four of them in , 1973Four of them in , 1980Four of them in and 1993 were potentially very destructive with magnitudes exceeding 5.0. The majority of seismic events recorded to date has been induced from Koyna-Warna reservoir areas. This paper discusses the fractal analysis of a fault map from LANDSAT images with the increasing seismic activity in the region. The region is divided into six blocks and the fractal dimension of each block is calculated using a box-counting technique. A plot of a three-dimensional map of the fractal dimension is prepared. It shows that the value of the fractal dimension is gently dipping from NE to SW. The fractal dimension is used to estimate the b-6alue in the frequency-magnitude relation of earthquakes in the region which is in agreement with earlier studies.

Fractal Analysis of Major Faults in India on a Regional Scale

“…Sunmonu and Dimri (2000) employed database of local faults in the Koyna-Warna Region, West India and estimated higher fractal dimensions compared to the present regional observations. On the other hand, lower values observed in the Kutch rift block associated with 2001 Bhuj Earthquake are in accordance with those observed by Ram and Roy (2005) indicating clustering of faults in the zone.…”

“…This method was employed by Hirata (1989) to characterize the fault systems in Japan; Idziak and Teper (1996) to study fractal dimensions of fault networks in the upper Silesian coal basin, Poland; Angulo-Brown et al (1998) to study distribution of faults, fracture and lineament in southern Mexico; Sunmonu and Dimri (2000) to estimate fractal geometry of the faults in Koyna-Warna Region, West India; and Ram and Roy (2005) to study the tectonics related to 2001 Bhuj earthquake.…”

Seismicity and structure of the Indian subcontin

“…Aki (1981) showed a correlation between the b-and D-values as D = 3b/c (c = 1.5). Sunmonu and Dimri (2000) applied fractal analysis to correlate the roughness of faults to seismic activity. Sengupta et al (2011) analyzed the major fault networks across the country to estimate regional variation in D values.…”

Application of GPS in Identifying Active Fault Plane in Western Maharashtra Peninsular Shield of India

“…The analysis, field testing and satellite imagery suggested the presence of steep NW-SE trending normal faults lying between the Koyna and Warna Rivers, shown as L 1 and L 2 in Fig.2. Therefore, the overall seismicity was observed to be bound in the west by the KRFZ, in the east by the Patan fault and by WSZ in the south (Langton, 1981;Sunmonu and Dimri, 2000;Talwani, 2000;Gupta, 2002;Pandey and Chadha, 2003). (Talwani, 1997) …”