Characteristics of October 08, 2005 Kashmir-Hazara Earthquake and

Its Connection with Indus Kohistan Seismic Zone (IKSZ)

Syed Kazim Mehdi
Director MSMS WAPDA, Pakistan, sspkazim@hotmail.com

ABSTRACT:
This paper deals with the mega (Mw = 7.7) earthquake that struck the Kashmir Hazara region of Pakistan on October 08, 2005. The Kashmir Hazara
Syntaxis (KHS) is one of the bold tectonic scars that physically isolate the terrain from rest of the Himalaya. Other major seismotectonic features
sculpturing this terrain in the shape of major faults and folds are: Main boundary Thrust (MBT), Main Mantle Thrust (MMT), Indus Kohistan
Seismic Zone (IKSZ), Punjal Thrust Fault (PTF), Hazara Thrust System (HTS) and the Indus Valley Faults (IVF). The study presents Fault Plane
Solutions (FPS) of ten pre (1900 2005) and 15 post (October 2005 to February 2006), Kashmir Hazara earthquakes and their tectonic
interpretation. Aftershock distribution which is more prominent in the crystalline zone defines a more refined orientation of the Indus Kohistan
Seismic Zone (IKSZ). WAPDA Large Dam i.e. Tarbela and two under construction Hydropower Projects viz. Neelum Jhelum and Kohala lie in the
mainshock and aftershocks area of the earthquake that are still occurring till date. Micro Seismic Monitoring Systems (MSMS) should be installed in
Muzaffarabad and Balakot areas for the seismic safety monitoring of Neelum Jhelum and Kohala Hydropower Projects that are under construction in
this seismically active region.

Keywords: Kashmir-Hazara Earthquake, Indus Kohistan Seismic Zone, Fault Plane Solutions.

1.

INTRODUCTION
2.

A massive earthquake of Mw = 7.7 occurred in the Pakistans

Kashmir Hazara Zone on October 08, 2005 at 0350 UTC, killing
over 0.10 million people. As per Micro Seismic Monitoring
System (MSMS) of WAPDA, Pakistan, this shallow focused
earthquake (16.2 km) occurred at Lat. 34.53 E & Lon. 73.55 N.
The earthquake resulted from the subduction of the Indian plate
beneath the Eurasian plate, and fault plane solutions indicated
that the earthquake resulted due to thrust faulting. Muzaffarabad
and Balakot where the Modified Mercalli Intensity reached a
maximum of X were the most effected cities.This was the largest
historical earthquake on the Indus Kohistan Seismic Zone
(IKSZ) of Armbruster et al. (1978) and Seeber and Armbruster
(1979). It was the first Himalayan earthquake to be accompanied
by surface rupture, reactivating the BalakotBagh (BB) reverse
fault (Figure-1) and, locally, offsetting the Main Boundary thrust
(MBT). A field investigation by Yeats et al. (2006) and Kaneda
et al. (2008) revealed a surface rupture 70 km long, with up to 7m vertical separation, mostly along the pre-existing BB fault.
Northwest of the end of the surface rupture, heavy damage was
sustained northwest to the Indus River, site of the 1974 Pattan
earthquake of Mw = 6.3 (Figure-1). The physiography of the
range, as well as tectonic structure defines a Syntaxis, called the
Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis (HKS), outlined by the hairpin
rotation of the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT). The MBT is a
most important fault bounding the Himalayan range that has
thrust metasediments of the Lesser Himalaya over the Tertiary
molasses. Active deformation in the area results from the 3
cm/yr northward notch of the northwestern Indian Peninsula into
Eurasia. Along the northwestern Himalaya, a fraction of that
junction, estimated to about 1.4 cm/yr, is absorbed by thrusting.

KASHMIR HAZARA TERRAIN

The Kashmir Hazara terrain lying in the lesser Himalayan belt

constitutes the NW segment of the Indo Pakistan plate. This part
of the plate has been grilled by two continental accidents; the
earlier one 100-75 my ago when the Indo-Pakistan Plate collided
with Eurasia, overwhelming the Palaeotethys. After the initial
collision, the Indo-Pak plate started under-thrusting the Eurasian
Plate and according to an estimate over 700 km of the IndoPakistan Plate has been consumed under Eurasian plate. The
uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan Belt and their
attaining higher elevation is considered as a result of underthrusting the Indo-Pak Plate underneath Eurasia. Even now the
northward subduction is continuing at the rate of 3-4 cm per year
and stresses generated by this convergence movement have
given rise to extensive southward directed thrust system which is
successively migrating to the south and being accommodated by
the major shear zones including those of Kashmir and Hazara.
The active tectonics created by the plate movements or deep
crustal disturbances induce body waves which are seismic and
travel through the earths interior, spreading outward from the
epicenters in all directions. These waves are capable of
triggering the dormant faults and could transform an Aseismic
zone into seismic. Seeber et al (1983) based on seismic data
delineated two major deformational anomalies at crustal level
called Detachment Fault and Basement Fault. The Detachment is
nearly a horizontal fault and separates the under thrusting IndoPak shield from the overlying metamorphic and sedimentary
rock formations. The Basement marks the line separating the
shallow dipping Detachment Fault from the steeper dipping
Basement. Thus under this context the fault in the KashmirHazara terrain are categorized either being the offshoots of

Basement or Detachment. In case of Detachment a rupture

occurs in vast area in a single event and it generates great
earthquakes. The earthquakes are categorized as shallow at

depth range up to 70 km beneath the surface, intermediate

between 70 -350 km and deep between 350 670 km.

Figure 1 Regional Seismotectonic Setup

3.

REGIONAL GEOLOGY

The BB fault dips northeast. Near Muzaffarabad, the fault

separates Precambrian limestone and shale on the northeast from
Miocene Murree Formation on the southwest; farther southeast,
the fault is entirely within the Murree Formation or forms the
contact between the Murree and Kamlial formations (Fig.2).
The Kohistan arc can be divided from the Asian plate by the

Northern or Shyok Suture and from the Indian plate by the Main
Mantle Thrust (MMT). The internal zone is separated from the
external zone un-metamorphosed to low-grade metamorphic
Precambrian sediments and dominantly Mesozoic to Eocene
Tethyan shelf sediments by the Punjal Thrust (PT). The Main
Frontal Thrust (MFT) delineates the southernmost extent of the
foreland basin fold and thrust belt.

Figure 2. Geology of Bagh-Balakot Fault & Location/FMS of Main KH Earthquake

The Balakot Formation red beds lie in thrust contact with the
Paleocene aged shallow marine Patala Formation and Lockhart

Limestone below, and are tectonically intercalated with an

underlying dark gray marl formation (Mahdi 2007). Jhelum

Fault is a NE dipping strike-slip fault following the western

margin of HKS bend. Rocks belonging to Miocene, Cambrian
and Pre-Cambrian periods exposed along its trace are highly
deformed due to recurring shear zones. Individual blocks of the
Punjal Volcanic and Triassic limestones have been found
dragged for several kilometers southward. An accumulative leftlateral offset of about 31 km is indicated on the western limb of
the Syntaxis. It apparently dislocates from the Main Boundary
Thrust and terminates at the eastward continuation of some of
the geological structures of North West Himalayan Fold and
Thrust Belts. These tectonic relationships indicate Jhelum fault
as the youngest major tectonic feature in the syntaxial zone
(Mehdi et. al. 2006).
4.

SEISMOTECTONIC SETTING

Earthquakes in the northern part of Pakistan are the result of

ongoing northward subduction of the Indian plate beneath the
Eurasian plate at a rate of around 40 mm/year. The N & NE
directed compression has produced major thrust faults like the
Main Karakoram Thrust (MKT), Main Mantle Thrust (MMT),
and the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) shown in Figure-1, as
well as many active faults of variable length. Transpressional
features in the area include strike slip faults named as Jhelum,
Thakot, Puran and Raikot Faults. In addition to these, existence
of shallow to deep crustal faults, like the NW trending Indus
Kohistan Seismic Zone (IKSZ) of Armbruster et al. (1978) and
Bagh Balakot Fault (BBF) of Khan and Ali (1994), has also been
proposed. The Himalayan region has been experiencing major
earthquakes, like the 1905 Kangra earthquake, 1934 Bihar
Nepal, and 1950 Assam earthquake. All these earthquakes have
approached or exceeded Mw = 8.0, but none was as destructive
as the October 8, 2005 Kashmir-Hazara earthquake of Mw = 7.7.
These great earthquakes occurred on the detachment under the
outer and Lesser Himalayas rocks from the under thrusting
Indian shield rocks. Gahalaut (2006) indicated the presence of
three seismic gaps in some segments of the detachment and
named one of them as the Kashmir Seismic Gap, which lies in
the southeast of the NW Himalayan Syntaxis or Hazara Kashmir
Syntaxis (HKS). The seismically active nature of Pakistan and
its adjacent region is well known because of the occurrence of
some of the biggest earthquakes of the world. Some events that
caused loss of life and destruction in northern Pakistan during
the recent past are the 1974 Pattan earthquake of Mw = 6.2,
Rawalpindi earthquake of 1977 having Mw= 5.5, two Bunji
earthquakes of Mw= 5.3 and Mw = 6.3 that occurred in 2002,
two Batgram earthquakes of Mw 5.5 and Mw = 5.8 that took
place in 2004, and the October 8, 2005 Kashmir Hazara
earthquake with Mw = 7.7. The fault that ruptured during the
October 08, 2005, Mw 7.7 earthquake is a thrust has been
identified characteristically along the Jhelum valley from
Muzaffarabad to Garhi and farther south.

5.

INDUS KOHISTAN SEISMIC ZONE

On the basis of a micro-earthquake survey in this region during

19731974, through WAPDA MSMS data a wedge-shaped NW
trending structure was recognized by Armbruster et al. (1978)
who named it as IKSZ. Later workers confirmed the presence of
this 100 km long feature between the HKS and the MMT. This

50-km-wide zone of seismicity has a nearly horizontal upper

surface and a NE dipping lower surface. Seeber, et. al. (1983)
has used microseismic data from the Pakistans Tarbela and
Chasma microseismic networks to develop a seismotectonic
model for the Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis (HKS) region in
Pakistan. According to them there exist a sub-horizontal
decollement as an interface between the sedimentary and metasedimentary wedge and the basement. However, they have also
discerned two parallel clusters of epicentres associated with the
basement faults, extending towards NW from the KHS, which
they interpreted as the deeper level NW extensions of the
structural trends in the Kashmir Himalaya, east of Syntaxis. Out
of the two zones/clusters the NE one, which they preferred to
call Indus Kohistan Seismic Zone (IKSZ), is currently more
active and indicates predominantly thrust type movement. The
IKSZ strikes parallel to the north-western Himalaya, but extends
beyond the HKS. This seismicity extends north-westwards the
belt of seismic activity that follows the front of the entire
Himalaya. Ni et al. (1991), on the basis of relocated hypocenters,
have identified two seismic zones within the IKSZ: a shallow
zone extending from the surface to a depth of 8 km and a more
pronounced midcrustal zone lying at depths of 12 to 25 km. The
upper boundary at a depth of about 12 km is considered to
represent a decollement surface that decouples the sediments and
metasediments from the basement. The IKSZ is seismically the
most active structure in the region, as it is capable of generating
large events. Prior to 2005, the most destructive earthquake,
associated with the IKSZ, was the 28 December, 1974 Pattan
earthquake with mb 6 magnitude. The question arises whether
the IKSZ or the detachment is responsible for the Muzaffarabad
earthquake.

6.

DATA ANALYSIS AND FOCAL MECHANISM

SOLUTIONS
More than 15,000 aftershocks were recorded by the WAPDA
Micro Seismic Monitoring System (MSMS) between the
October 8, 2005 Kashmir Hazara (KH) earthquake and
December 2010. The WAPDA MSMS uses its own P-wave
velocity model, whereas for S-wave velocities, it is assumed that
the Vp/VS ratio is 1.73. About 173 aftershocks were documented
in the first day after the initial shock, one of which had a
magnitude of Mw = 6.4). A total of 25 earthquakes (Mw 4)
have been selected for the FMS, out of which ten are pre KH
earthquake (19642004) and fifteen are post KH earthquake,
including the main shock (Table 1). All the 25 pre and post KH
earthquake FMS are plotted on a map (Fig.3) and are discussed
below in relation to the structures present in the area. FMS of
pre KH earthquakes are named as P1, P2. . . P10 and the KH
earthquake plus aftershocks FMS as 1, 2, 3. . . 15 (Fig 3.). All of
pre KH earthquakes except P8 are situated near or along the
MMT that forms the northern boundary of the study area. The
event P8 is located on the right lateral Thakot Fault, which is
one of the important active faults in the area. For FMS 6, 7, FMS
and 10, the focal depth is 10 km, confirming the activation of
IKSZ. Focal depths for the events 2, 4, 5, and 8 the depth ranges
from 49 to 55 km (Table 1.) There is general agreement that
thrusting is the major deformational process operating at these
levels. However, in the case of FMS 9, 12, and 13 (aftershocks),
the focal depth is 10 km, that is again confirming the activation
of the IKSZ.

Table 1.
FMS Nos.
Pre-2005 FMS

Source parameters of the 25 earthquakes used in FMS determination

Date (D/M/Y)

P1
8/11/65
P2
6/4/66
P3
28/4/71
P4
27/12/71
P5
27/09/72
P6
28/12/74
P7
28/12/74
P8
7/4/75
P9
28/12/84
P10
17/7/2000
KH Earthquake FMS
1
08/10/05
2
08/10/05
3
08/10/05
4
08/10/05
5
08/10/05
6
08/10/05
7
09/10/05
8
09/10/05
9
12/10/05
10
13/10/05
11
19/10/05
12
19/10/05
13
23/10/05
14
28/10/05
15
06/11/05

Time (H:M:S)

Latitude (N)

Longitude (E)

Depth (km)

Magnitude (Mw)

21:23:09
1:51:53
15:12:42
20:59:39
20:24:56
12:11:46
22:38:53
6:41:02
16:28:01
5:26:00

34.6
34.91
34.44
34.98
35.07
35.06
34.99
34.91
34.61
34.59

73.3
73.06
73.6
73.02
72.91
72.91
73.1
72.97
73.61
72.89

65
54
43
55
49
15
21
53
47
10

5.1
5.6
5.3
5.7
5.3
6.4
5.3
5.5
5
5.5

03:50
10:46
12:08
12:25
21:13
21:45
08:30
19:20
20:23
20:49
02:33
03:16
15:04
21:34
02:11

34.42
34.76
34.56
34.76
34.77
34.65
34.56
34.38
34.90
34.74
34.66
34.90
34.88
34.74
34.47

73.52
73.28
73.20
73.40
73.45
73.36
73.51
73.79
73.46
73.19
73.53
73.38
73.19
73.13
73.54

13
8
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
05
10
10
10
10

7.6
6.4
5.7
5.7
6.0
5.7
5.8
5.5
5.8
5.7
5.8
5.5
5.9
5.5
5.7

Figure 3. Focal Mechanism Solutions of Earthquakes.

Focal mechanism solutions of these events support this
contention, as all solutions illustrate thrusting. All include a
plane that strikes in the NWSE direction and dips NE, except
P2 and P4 that have NE and N striking planes, respectively. P-

axis orientations of these events are NESW (Table 2).

Following Armbruster et al. (1978), it is believed that the
IKSZ is responsible for the shallow seismic activity, whereas
imbricate thrusting, breaking, and thickening of the crust to a

depth of 60 to 70 km is producing thrusts with mostly shallow

dips in an overall steeply dipping seismic pattern. Thus, the
Table 2.
FMS Nos.

deeper earthquakes are considered to be intraplate events

within the lower crust (lower part of the Himalayan crust).

FMS parameters obtained for the 25 earthquakes

Nature of FMS

Pre-2005 FMS
P1
THRUST
P2
THRUST
P3
THRUST
P4
THRUST
P5
THRUST
P6
REVERSE
P7
THRUST
P8
THRUST
P9
THRUST
P10
RLSS
KH earthquake FMS
1.
THRUST
2.
THRUST
3.
THRUST
4.
THRUST
5.
THRUST
6.
THRUST
7.
THRUST
8.
THRUST
9.
THRUST
10.
THRUST
11.
THRUST
12.
THRUST
13.
THRUST
14.
THRUST
15.
THRUST

Fault plane (FP)

Strike
Dip

Auxiliary plane (AP)

Strike
Dip

Strike

Plunge

T-Axis
Strike
Plunge

142o
308 o
339 o
331 o
320 o
348 o
329 o
7o
284 o
312 o

33oNE
7 oNE
26 oNE
12 oNE
13 oNE
52 oNE
21 oE
11 oNE
34 oNE
85 oNE

289 o
40 o
166 o
87 o
154 o
105 o
135 o
175 o
162 o
42 o

62 o
90 oSE
64 oSW
85 oS
78 oSW
60 oSW
70 oS
79 oNW
70 o
88 oNW

31 o
136 o
-106 o
186 o
242 o
225 o
-131 o
-93 o
-129 o
177 o

15 o
44 o
19 o
39 o
33 o
5o
24 o
34 o
21 o
2o

164 o
303 o
82 o
345 o
68 o
321 o
37 o
82 o
108 o
-267 o

69 o
45 o
70 o
49 o
57 o
53 o
65 o
56 o
56 o
4o

342 o
335 o
340 o
339 o
357 o
339 o
353 o
321 o
313 o
1o
320 o
334 o
309 o
341 o
157 o

57 o NE
54 o NE
57 o NE
56 o NE
62 o NE
51 o NE
69 o NE
64 o NE
49 o NE
77 o NE
43 o NE
60 o NE
48 o NE
57 o NE
81 o NE

101 o
107 o
102 o
97 o
145 o
102 o
101 o
179 o
95 o
113 o
124 o
105 o
101 o
99 o
52 o

53 o NW
48 o NW
51 o NW
54 o NW
32 o NW
56 o NW
52 o NW
31 o NW
48 o NW
31 o NW
48 o NW
41 o NW
46 o NW
54 o NW
33 o NW

42 o
42 o
42 o
38 o
75 o
219 o
50 o
65 o
24 o
69 o
138 o
43 o
25 o
41 o
88 o

2o
4o
4o
1o
15 o
3o
10 o
17 o
0o
27 o
3o
10 o
1o
2o
28 o

310 o
305 o
306 o
307 o
300 o
314 o
310 o
198 o
293 o
302 o
329 o
294 o
291 o
309 o
35 o

53 o
63 o
56 o
53 o
69 o
57
44 o
66 o
70 o
50 o
82 o
62 o
75 o
53 o
45 o

FMS P6 and P7 like P2 and P4 are also located near the MMT.
P6, with a magnitude of Mw = 6.4, was the second largest
earthquake to have occurred in the study area. Focal depths for
these events are 15 and 21 km, respectively (Table 1). From the
earlier description, it is known that the IKSZ occurs at depths
ranging from 12 to 25 km. According to Ni et al. (1991), most
IKSZ events are deeper than 12 km in which the shallow events
are associated with the reactivated parts of MMT, while the
deeper earthquakes may be related to the under thrusting of the
Indian plate beneath the IKSZ. Various workers named P6 as
the Pattan earthquake of 1974 and determined its FMS. The
epicenter is located approximately 10 km north of MMT in a
terrain of garnet granulites overlying ultramafic rocks.
Solutions obtained in the present study are of reverse faulting,
with a component of right-lateral strike slip in the case of the P6.
FMS 2, 4, 5, 10, and 14, are situated midway between the MMT
and the Syntaxis region faults. The Indian Plate to the south of
MMT may comprise a stack of nappes. The IKSZ underlies this
area. In this domal structure, basement uplift is an ongoing
process and may be the reason for generating right-lateral strike
slip faults in this part of the study area. The earthquake with
FMS P10 is located close to the nearly NS trending strike slip
Thakot Fault, which is considered to be the surface expression of
the Tarbela seismic zone. This zone, lying between depths of 8
and 18 km, overlies the HLSZ and comprises of thrusts and
strike slip faults with strikes in both the NW and NE directions.
Considering the strike (NWSE), dip (NE), sense of thrust, and
depth (10 km) of FMS 3 and 6, it is anticipated that the IKSZ
was activated. The events P3, 1, 7, and 15 are situated within the
HKS and P9and P8 at its eastern limb. FMS 3, 6, 7 and 15 are

P-Axis

shallow earthquakes with focal depths of 510 km, whereas P3

and P9 are of 54 and 43-km depth, respectively. The latter two
provide further confirmation of the attachment of the crystalline
basement of a crust thickened to about 58 km. Thrust solutions
with NWSE striking rupture plane have been obtained for all
the events including FMS 1, which is for the October 8, 2005
KH earthquake. Considering the trend and dip direction of the
Bagh Basement Fault, the plane dipping NE at 26 is inferred to
be the rupture plane for P3 and P9. This suggests the existence
of more than one basement fault in the core of the Syntaxis.
IKSZ is about 95 KM NE off Tarbela Dam Project (3470 MW)
and about 60 km NW off under construction Neelum Jhelum
Hydropower Project (1000 MW) (Fig 4). The Figure 4 indicates
that both Projects are surrounded by very active tectonic
features. From the safety monitoring view deployment of
seismic instruments is necessary. Tarbela Dam Project is well
surrounded by MSMS instruments, however, the Eastern side
Neelum Jhelum Project lacks such setup.

7.

CONCLUSIONS

The October 8, 2005 KH earthquake is the deadliest of all the

Himalayan earthquakes. Historical and instrumental data
propose that this earthquake occurred in the region where
seismic activity is very high. From the thorough study of the 25
FMS in relation to the structure and tectonics of the area, three
significant conclusions can be drawn: (1) Shallow events (depth

Figure 4. Seismotectonic of Northern Pakistan & WAPDA MSMS

10 km) with prominent strike slip solutions are associated with
the surface strike slip faults (e.g., BBF) and/or due to the
uplifting of the Besham domal structure; (2) moderate depth
events (depth 1025 km) with thrust/reverse solutions but having
minor right-lateral strike slip component are associated with
IKSZ; and (3) deeper earthquakes (depth below IKSZ) with pure
thrust/reverse solutions may be related with the under-thrusting
of the Indian plate beneath the IKSZ, which represents a major
thrust zone. The FMS of 15 aftershocks and the KH earthquake
are strongly indicative of a NWSE trending, NE dipping thrust
fault, about 90 km in length. Some 35 km of this proposed fault
follows the NWSE trending BalakotBagh Fault. It is therefore
propose that the IKSZ is seismically active and was the source
of the KH earthquake. The FMS of this earthquake is also a
NWSE striking thrust with minor right-lateral strike slip
component. The present study shows that the IKSZ extends
further southeast into the center of Syntaxis. Under construction
Neelum Jhelum & Kohala Hydro Project needs installation of
MSMS instruments from the safety monitoring point of view.

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