Investigation of Coulomb stress changes in south Tibet (central Himalayas) due to the 25th April 2015 M W 7.8 Nepal earthquake using a Coulomb stress transfer model

Abstract

After M W 7.8 Nepal earthquake occurred, the rearrangement of stresses in the crust commonly leads to subsequent damaging earthquakes. We present the calculations of the coseismic stress changes that resulted from the 25th April event using models of regional faults designed according to south Tibet-Nepal structure, and show that some indicative significant stress increases. We calculate static stress changes caused by the displacement of a fault on which dislocations happen and an earthquake occurs. A M W 7.3 earthquake broke on 12 May at a distance of * 130 km SEE of the M W 7.8 earthquake, whose focus roughly located on high Coulomb stress change (CSC) site. Aftershocks (first 15 days after the mainshock) are associated with stress increase zone caused by the main rupture. We set receiver faults with specified strikes, dips, and rakes, on which the stresses imparted by the source fault are resolved. Four group normal faults to the north of the Nepal earthquake seismogenic fault were set as receiver faults and variant results followed. We provide a discussion on Coulomb stress transfer for the seismogenic fault, which is useful to identify potential future rupture zones.