Morphometric Analysis of Koyna-Warna Region Seismicity

Abstract

After sixty years of studies of the reservoir triggered earthquakes in the Koyna-Warna region, several questions remain unanswered. In particular, the role of reservoir water on the seismicity, the area of influence and possible pathways through which surface water may catalyze an earthquake at depth, continues to be an enigma. On the basis of the high resolution DEM derived from airborne LiDAR data, several aspects of surface features have been unraveled. The characteristics of surface morphology over the region have been revealed. Lineament systems have been delineated, the association of which with subsurface trends and seismicity patterns, establish them as fault systems. We also attempt to look at geomorphic parameters over the region and investigate their correlation with seismicity. We find that earthquake clusters are associated with regions of tectonic control, the signatures of which differ in the Koyna and Warna regions.