Embedded Files
My primary research topics are listed below. I am also involved in several other collaborations, and am always interested in other projects!
The youngest mountains of the Himalaya
The youngest mountains of the Himalaya
The Siwalik Hills are formed by the foreland fold and thrust belt of the Himalayan orogen. These hills consist of Miocene-Pliocene foreland basin fill that has been incorporated into the fold and thrust belt and they preserve a record of Himalayan deformation over Pleistocene and Holocene. The youngest fault in this system is the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT). We use field mapping, active source seismic, shallow drilling and topographic analysis to study the characteristics of the MFT and the development of this region. Our data shows that the MFT is a complex system of faults with multiple decollements and fault ramps, some of which are blind and some are surface breaching, with slip that must be . There is also a history of complex base level change in the fluvial systems that drain the region that has created a series of geomorphic features such as buried unconformities and incised valleys.
The Gangetic Plain is one of the most densely populated and vulnerable regions in the world, and is regularly affected by great earthquakes. These results highlight the importance of considering these complexities when interpreting paleoseismological data in the Himalaya. that is used to determine the natural hazards in the region.
More information about data acquisition using the mini-buggy can be found here: https://sites.google.com/site/judithahubbard/equipment
The politically and tectonically complicated Indo-Burman Ranges
The politically and tectonically complicated Indo-Burman Ranges
Spanning three countries, with few roads crossing the best locations for geophysical studies, the Indo-Burman Ranges are a sub-aerial accretionary prism that is the result of the oblique collision between the Indian plate and the Burman micro-plate. This highly oblique collision has resulted in strain partitioning between strike-slip (Sagaing Fault) and thrust (the Indo-Burman Ranges proper) faults. Our studies, focused on Bangladesh - the most densely populated country in the world, seek to constrain the geometric and kinematic model of the frontal structures of this accretionary system to elucidate its Holocene deformation history and estimate the risk it poses to cities like Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh with a population of more than 14 million people. A second part of this project seeks to understand hoe the Dauki fault, in northern Bangladesh, interacts with the Indo-Burman Ranges and what risk is also poses to this vulnerable country. We have installed a seismic network in eastern Bangladesh to this end, and expect to carry out active source seismic experiments in the future.
Extension in the Basin and Range, western United States
Extension in the Basin and Range, western United States
My PhD dissertation can be accessed here: https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/catalog/ac:176196
Google Sites
Report abuse