Intra-Plate Dynamics and Active Tectonic Zones of the Indian Plate
Authors: K. Biswas Sanjib , D. Chauhan Gaurav 
Published: August 2022

The tectonic framework of the Indian Plate started to evolve since the break-up of Gondwanaland in the Late Triassic. It evolved mainly during the time between its separation from the African plate in the Early-Cretaceous and its collision with the Eurasian plate on the north in Late-Middle Eocene and with the Burmese plate in the northeast in Late-Oligocene. Present active tectonic zones, responsible for earthquake generation, were created by the collision pattern and subsequent plate motion. Continued subduction and plate motion due to ridge push and slab pull are responsible for the activation of primordial faults in the inherent structural fabric of the craton depending on the related stress field. Major tectonic zones of the Indian continental plate are related to the collision fronts and the reactivated intra-cratonic faults along the resurgent paleo-sutures between the proto-cratons. Major Tectonic Zones (TZ) are Himalayan TZ, Assam-Arakan TZ, Baluchistan- Karakoram TZ, Andaman-Nicobar TZ, and Stable Continental Region (SCR) earthquake zone. The structure of the continental margins developed during the break-up of Gondwana continental fragments. Western margin evolved during the sequential separation of Africa, Madagascar, and Seychelles since the Late-Triassic to Late Cretaceous time. The Eastern margin structure evolved during the separation of Antarctica in Mid Cretaceous. The orogenic belt circumscribing the northern margin of Indian plate is highly tectonised as the subduction of the plate continues due to northerly push from the Carlsberg Ridge in the SW and slab-pull towards northeast and east along the orogenic and island arc fronts in the NE. This stress pattern induced an anticlockwise rotatory plate motion. The back thrust from the collision front in the direction opposite to the ridge push put the plate under an overall compressive stress. This stress pattern and the plate motion are responsible for the reactivation of the major intra-cratonic faults. While the tectonised orogenic belts are the zones for earthquake nucleation, the reactivated faults are also the strained mega shear zones across the plate for earthquake generation in SCR. These faults trending WNW-ESE are apparently the transform faults that extend across the continent from Carlsberg ridge in the west to the collision zones in the northeast. As such, they are described here as the ‘trans-continental transform faults’. Three such major fault zones from north to south are (i) North Kathiawar fault - Great Boundary fault (along the Aravalli belt) zone, (ii) South Saurashtra fault (extension of Narmada fault) – SONATA-Dauki-Naga fault zone, and (iii) Tellichery-Cauvery-Eastern Ghat-T3-Hail Hakalula-Naga thrust zone. All these trans-continental faults, which are mega-shear zones, are traceable from western offshore to the northeastern orogenic belts along mega tectonic lineaments across the continent. The neotectonic movements along these faults, their relative motion, and displacement are the architect of the present geomorphic pattern and shape of the Indian craton. The overall compressive stress is responsible for strain build-up within these fault zones and consequent earthquake nucleation. The mid-continental Sonata-Dauki shear zone follows the Central Indian Suture Zone between Bundelkhand Proto Continent (BPC) and Deccan Proto Continent (DPC). With the reactivation of this shear zone, the two proto-cratonic blocks are subjected to relative movement as the plate rotates anticlockwise. The kinematics of these movements and their implications are discussed here with a special reference to the recent 2001 Bhuj earthquake.