GPS Measurements of Deformation Caused by Seasonal Filling and Emptying Cycles of Four Hydroelectric Reservoirs in India

Research Article| September 25, 2018 GPS Measurements of Deformation Caused by Seasonal Filling and Emptying Cycles of Four Hydroelectric Reservoirs in India Rakesh Dumka; Rakesh Dumka aInstitute of Seismological Research, Raisan, Gandhinagar 382009, India Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Pallabee Choudhury; Pallabee Choudhury aInstitute of Seismological Research, Raisan, Gandhinagar 382009, India Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar V. K. Gahalaut; V. K. Gahalaut bNational Center for Seismology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi 110003, India, vkgahalaut@yahoo.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kalpna Gahalaut; Kalpna Gahalaut cCSIR‐National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad 500007, India Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Rajeev Kumar Yadav Rajeev Kumar Yadav dDepartment of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, India Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Rakesh Dumka aInstitute of Seismological Research, Raisan, Gandhinagar 382009, India Pallabee Choudhury aInstitute of Seismological Research, Raisan, Gandhinagar 382009, India V. K. Gahalaut bNational Center for Seismology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi 110003, India, vkgahalaut@yahoo.com Kalpna Gahalaut cCSIR‐National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad 500007, India Rajeev Kumar Yadav dDepartment of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016, India Publisher: Seismological Society of America First Online: 25 Sep 2018 Online Issn: 1943-3573 Print Issn: 0037-1106 © Seismological Society of America Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (2018) 108 (5B): 2955–2966. https://doi.org/10.1785/0120170355 Article history First Online: 25 Sep 2018 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Rakesh Dumka, Pallabee Choudhury, V. K. Gahalaut, Kalpna Gahalaut, Rajeev Kumar Yadav; GPS Measurements of Deformation Caused by Seasonal Filling and Emptying Cycles of Four Hydroelectric Reservoirs in India. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 2018;; 108 (5B): 2955–2966. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/0120170355 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyBulletin of the Seismological Society of America Search Advanced Search Abstract We present Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of crustal deformation caused by seasonal filling and emptying of four surface reservoirs of varying dimensions located in different geological domains of India. We find that all the reservoirs, including the smallest Dharoi reservoir with a storage capacity of only 0.9 km3⁠, cause deformation in the neighboring region. Such deformation leads to stress change, and depending on the availability of critically stressed faults in the region, a reservoir may trigger earthquakes that can be detected if a local seismological network is in place. Interestingly, three of the reservoirs, the Tehri, Koyna, and Ukai reservoirs, triggered earthquakes in their vicinity. Thus, we suggest that there appears to be no lower threshold on the size of reservoir to cause deformation in the surrounding medium. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.