Dibyashakti Panda

I use space geodetic techniques (e.g., GNSS and InSAR) to study ground deformation and associated seismic hazards. I process and study geodetic data to create numerical models that can be useful in assessing the degree of deformation before, during, and after an earthquake. In addition, I explore the lithospheric deformation process caused by non-tectonic agents (such as rainfall, ice mass, atmospheric pressure, etc.), and how they affect surface deformation and change the subsurface stress conditions. 

I am presently working as a Postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Mumbai, India. My postdoctoral project aims to use satellite imagery data integrated with GNSS observations to study the strain accumulation process along the Himalayan megathrust between seismic cycles.

See my research page for more.

Recent highlights

Our recent work with my postdoc advisor Eric Lindsey at UNM, published in JGR: Solid Earth, related to deformation along the Himalayas as a part of the Fulbright-Nehru postdoctoral project explores the kinematic coupling using GNSS observations. We tried to address the key research question of why there are differing opinions on the variation in plate coupling along the Himalayan megathrust. By considering the most updated GNSS catalog, we reevaluated the kinematic coupling along the Himalayas, which we found to be uniformly coupled in the up-dip section along its entire length. This translates to a high seismic energy accumulation rate that is equivalent to one Mw 8.7 earthquake every 100 years. Further, we found that the low coupling patches along the Himalayan megathrust are manifestations of the existing Block modeling artifacts.

We also explore the status of active subduction along the Indo-Burmese Arc using geodetic observations and dislocation models. We found that the long-term plate motion estimated (~37 mm/yr) is partitioned among three major active units, namely, the Sagaing Fault (~18 mm/year), the Churachandpur‐Mao Fault (~17 mm/year), and the blind megathrust (~7 mm/year), from west to east of the IBA, respectively. This indicates convergence across the megathrust is significantly lower than the earlier estimates. Further, a large scatter in data close to the up-dip edge of the blind megathrust leads to ambiguity in the nature of strain accumulation, leading to uncertainty in the seismic hazard in this densely populated region.

Our collaborative work studied the tectonic deformation along the Himalayan plate boundary significantly influenced by the non-tectonic hydrological loading cycles over Southeast Asia. We observed higher transient displacements in a few GNSS stations, particularly above the base of the seismogenic zone (i.e., mid-crustal ramp). This possibly indicates changes in aseismic slip rate on the deep megathrust that may be controlled by seasonal hydrological loading.

As a part of future projects, we are focusing on using the existing ALOS2 and upcoming NISAR (NASA-ISRO SAR) satellite imagery to densify the geodetic observation along the Himalayan plate boundary and address some of the caveats resulting from using GNSS measurements in the modeling approach.