Contrasts in Tectonic Style (IMAGE)

California Institute of Technology

Contrasts in Tectonic Style

Caption

Earthquake mechanisms and the style of faulting in the Himalaya-Tibet region show that the Himalayan range is under north-south compression, southern Tibet is in east-west extension, and northern Tibet is in both east-west extension and north-south compression. The study shows that this pattern can be explained if the strong Indian crust thrust under southern Tibet is transmitting the north-south push of India to northern Tibet.

Credit

Caltech's Tectonics Observatory

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