Geomorphology reveals active décollement geometry in the central Himalayan seismic gap

Abstract

The-700-km-long "central seismic gap" is the most prominent segment of the Himalayan front not to have ruptured in a major earthquake during the last 200-500 yr. This prolonged seismic quiescence has led to the proposition that this region, with a population >10 million, is overdue for a great earthquake. Despite the region's recognized seismic risk, the geometry of faults likely to host large earthquakes remains poorly understood. Here, we place new constraints on the spatial distribution of rock uplift within the western-400 km of the central seismic gap using topographic and river profile analyses together with basinwide erosion rate estimates from cosmogenic 10Be. The data sets show a di..