Using geological data for earthquake studies: A perspective from peninsular India

Geological methods are being increasingly used to document past seismicity and to characterize earthquake zones. Advances in palaeoseismology, for example, have resulted in the development of various spatial and temporal models that are fundamental to the understanding of earthquake recurrence. Although palaeoseismological techniques are being increasingly used to develop recurrence models for interplate and active intraplate regions, questions do remain on their applicability to the Stable Continental Regions (SCRs). Recent palaeoseismological studies indicate that seismic sources in the SCRs are characterized by very short (hundreds of years) to long (tens of thousands of years) recurrence periods. Whether a seismic zone is rift related or not appears to be one major factor that determines the recurrence pattern. We propose two major groups of SCR earthquakes based on their temporal characteristics.