Geological Survey of India

Coral Microatoll for measurement of earthquake induced vertical deformation at Andaman Islands
Vertical deformation related to seismic as well as aseismic in the coastal areas is the distinct visual expression of tectonic processes. The change in coastal morphology, mechanical tide gauge data, Global Positioning System (GPS) data and biological indicators, like coral microatoll record this geodetic change. Out of these, the coral microatolls (genera Porites and Goniastrea ) act as natural long-term tide gauge as to their limited upward growth and thus recording sea-level variations on time scales of decades. The advantages of coral method are due to their existence along nearly every interval of tropical coast, being record past events when man made instruments are not in action and comparatively inexpensive. The 26th December, 2004 SumatraAndaman earthquake revealed a large amount of slip along the entire 1300 Km long rupture zone. This slip was and

associated

with

submergence

emergence in different parts of Andaman and Nicobar islands. Earlier study by other workers at North Reef and Interview islands on the western coast of Andaman have estimated 1.3m vertical upliftment in that part. The microatoll study has been carried out along the eastern boundary of North Andaman and Little Andaman (Fig. 1). The areas include Kalipur in the east coast of North Andaman mainland and Delgarno-I island in the eastern most fringe of North Andaman group of islands. In Little Andaman, studies are concentrated in the Hut Bay area mainly. All the areas were visited during December-January, 2006-07 in local low tide times. The work is primarily based on the external coral microatoll (Porites) morphology. As the study has been carried out almost two years after the 1
contributed by S.K.Som and Vijay Shivgotra, ER
Fig:1 Location map. The areas studied are marked by *

Geological Survey of India earthquake, the local information on the position of coral microatolls before and after the 2004 earthquake are given maximum weightage. mentioned in this write-up are now dead. Morphologically, Coral microatoll is a single coral colony, commonly with radial symmetry, having a dead flat upper surface and a living lateral margin. The growth of microatoll starts with a single polyp attached to the substrate. It grows hemi spherically till it reaches the lowest low water level, above which the vertical growth ceases and the horizontal growth continues. This maximum level above which corals can not survive and grow is known as Highest Level of Survival (HLS). Figure-2 shows the morphology of Hat microatoll and Cup microatoll used for geodetic investigations on emergence or submergence.
Fig:2 External morphology of hat (A) and cup (B) microatoll

All coral colonies examined and

Modeling vertical upliftment

To understand the absolute vertical displacement, it is important to understand the tide position on the particular date and time of data acquisition as well as position of Mean Sea Level and the tide position on the date of earthquake. For this NAO.99b global ocean tide model has been used which gives better accuracy in shallow water coastal areas with as uncertainty of 3.083 cm. In Kalipur area, the corals are low in tallness, between 20cm to 25cm, with a flat microatoll plane (top dead surface). These microatolls (Fig. 3) do not show substantial rim development and with lack of any stepped differences in HLS surfaces. Bioerosion of the microatoll plane is minimum and the growth rims are clearly 2
contributed by S.K.Som and Vijay Shivgotra, ER
Fig: 3 Coral microatoll at Kalipur. Inset shows growth rims with thickness about 1 cm.

Geological Survey of India identifiable in some of the microatolls. The inset of Figure-3 shows the growth rims. These growth rims show thickness of ~ 1 cm. The height to width aspect ratio is 0.17. The morphology of Delgarno-I microatoll differs from that of Kalipur microatoll. Finer internal structure is not observed in this microatoll. However, corals show cup morphology (Fig. 4) with a 3 cm to 5 cm raised outer rim. The height to width ratio ( 0.16) is nearly same with that of Kalipur microatoll.
Fig:4 Coral microatoll at Delgarno-I. Early and Late HLS marked by bar diagram.

The

schematic

surface

profile of this microatoll (Fig. 4) clearly differentiates two HLS surfaces

with elevated 28cm thick outer late HLS surface than the earlier one, indicating at least one episode of submergence in the area after the growth of the microatoll. The earlier microatoll plane is comparatively more bioeroded than the late microatoll plane. At Hut Bay, Little Andaman, low, wide, several meters thick coral colonies are found to form reef flates. These are highly bioeroded fossil

microatoll, covered with moss (Fig. 5) and overlain at places by 1m to 1.5m thick beach sands. As per local

information, there has been no change in sea water level after the 2004 earthquake and the corals are in their position as they were before the earthquake. Living Porites microatolls have flat upper surfaces located at the low water level. The HLS of coral microatoll is controlled by exposure to direct sunlight, i.e the day time low-low water level (LLWL) is the limiting boundary for the upward growth of microatolls. The HLS tracks lowest low water levels with a sensitivity of a few 3
contributed by S.K.Som and Vijay Shivgotra, ER
Fig:5 Highly bioeroded microatoll at Little Andaman

Geological Survey of India centimeters. Earlier workers shown that the HLS for living coral microatoll at the western coast of Andaman was at 83 4 cm below MSL and at 24 cm above the lowest water level. For the study areas at North Andaman, the LLWL have been calculated for December, 2004 (upto 23rd December) with reference to the mean sea level (MSL) by using NAO.99b global ocean tide model. This LLWL with a subtraction of 24cm should approximate the HLS at each site and thus considered as the reference level. These reference levels are found to be 89.8 cm for Kalipur and 91.89 cm for Delgarno island. The tide position with respect to MSL for the survey date has been calculated and the amount of uplift estimated from the reference level. The morphology of coral microatolls from Kalipur and Delgarno-I island of North Andaman record different HLS history. The microatoll plane at Kalipur stands ~ 20cm above the low tide level on survey date. Applying the above methodology, the upliftment of Kalipur is found to be 31.21 cm (Fig. 6). Lack of rim development suggest that sea level was more stable at this site. The distance of low tide water line from the microatoll site on survey date was about 100m and the beach slopes at an angle of 1o to 2o. Considering 1o beach slope, the height difference between the low tide water line and microatoll site is 1.74m. The height of microatoll is 32 cm. With the same methodology,
150.00

100.00

Wave height (cm) w.r.t. MSL

50.00

MSL

0.00

-50.00
Height of microatoll above water level (20 cm) Water level at 8.5 am on 20.12.06 (-78.59 cm)

Total upliftment 31.21 cm

-100.00

HLS ( -89.8 cm ) Day time LLWL (-113.80cm)

-150.00 13.50 Fig:6 Diagram5.50 showing total vertical upliftment at Kalipur, North21.50 Andaman Time

2.35m is the upliftment of Delgarno-I island. Study of coastal morphology, biological indicators and GPS data indicates that in North Andaman both eastern and western 4
contributed by S.K.Som and Vijay Shivgotra, ER

Geological Survey of India margins emerged by ~1m. The observed vertical upliftment of 31.21cm at Kalipur from present microatoll study corroborates the earlier field observations At Diglipur (north Andaman) 0.601m upliftment due to 2004 earthquake has been reported by others. Moreover, the general trend of deformation is decreasing amount uplift from west to east. The exceptionally large amount of uplift within the small area close to Diglipur, absence of finer structures in microatoll and the mismatch with the established models excludes the possibility of 2.35m vertical upliftment at Delgarno-I island. This microatoll and the microatolls present at Hut Bay, Little Andaman bear the signature of palaeo-seismicity, which brought these living creatures above the sea level. This preliminary observation suggests the potentiality of coral microatolls as a geodetic tool to understand the vertical ground movements. More detailed work on coral microatoll is warranted in the Andaman region for precise palaeogeodetic reconstruction and to understand the earthquake recurrences.

5
contributed by S.K.Som and Vijay Shivgotra, ER