An Undertaking of Bhaktapur Municipality

Khwopa Engineering College

(Affiliated to Purbanchal University) ESTD 2058
(2001)

Post Graduate Department of Earthquake Engineering

A REPORT ON
FIELD VISIT TO BARDIBAS EARTHQUAKE FAULT

Submitted By: Submitted To:

Umesh Lekhak Dr. Subeg Man Bijukchhen

ME078019 Department of Earthquake Engineering

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Department of Earthquake Engineering at Khwopa
Engineering College, especially to our professor and instructor Dr. Subeg Man Bijukchhen, and
Seismologist Chintan Timilsina from the Nepal Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center (NEMRC) for
sharing their valuable knowledge on Fault Mechanism and effects of earthquake on fault located at Sir
Khola, Bardibas Mahottari,, the working principle of seismic station at Bardibas and the structure of
Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway.

I also want to express my gratitude to Dr. Manjip Shakya, the head of the department of earthquake
engineering, and Er. Sujan Maka, the principal of Khwopa Engineering College, for organizing the
successful Educational trip on December 26 and 27, 2022.

-Umesh Lekhak (ME078019)

Table of Content

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 4
SITE LOCATION.................................................................................................................................. 4
OBJECTIVES........................................................................................................................................ 4
METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................ 4
STUDY OF SURFACE RUPTURE CAUSED BY 1934 AND 1255 EARTHQUAKE ........................... 5
STUDY OF SEISMIC STATION LOCATED AT BARDIBAS ............................................................. 7
STUDY OF STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF RAILWAYS ............................................................ 9
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 10
RECOMMENDATION ....................................................................................................................... 11
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................... 11
 INTRODUCTION
Nepal is situated in an area of the Alpine-Himalayan belt that is seismically active, where 17% of the greatest
earthquakes in the world occur. It is situated on the plate boundary created by the collision of the Indian and
Eurasian plates. At a rate of 30 to 40 millimeters per year, the unstable Indian plate is sliding toward the
stable Eurasian plate. Four fault systems—the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), Main Boundary Thrust (MBT),
Main Central Thrust (MCT), and South Tibetan Detachment System—can be used to separate Nepal into the
Indo-Gangetic Plain, Sub-Himalayan, Lesser Himalayan, Higher Himalayan, and Tibetan Tethys zone.
The Bihar-Nepal earthquake of 1934 A.D., which had a magnitude of 8.2 Mw, was a significant earthquake
that struck Nepal. Its surface traces and the breach are visible over at least 150 km of the Main Frontal
Thrust. Thus, rather than a single enormous event in the eleventh century AD, two significant earthquakes,
each 679 years apart, contributed to the frontal uplift of young river terraces in eastern Nepal. The unusual
surface manifestation of these earthquakes suggests that there may be surface ruptures of further allegedly
blind big Himalayan catastrophes. Therefore, it is essential for students studying earthquake engineering to
comprehend tectonic activity and post-seismic impacts, and this site investigation conclusively met our
needs.

This report includes three key observations, including a site assessment of a seismic station, Eurasian and
Indian Plate movement phenomena, and the slide that happened during the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake.
Based on the information gathered during the site investigation, this field report was created.

SITE LOCATION
Location 1 - Sir Khola, Bardibas
Latitude: 27.0587
Longitude: 85.8715

Location 2 – Bardibas Seismic Station, Bardibas

Latitude: 26.7259
Longitude: 85.9299

Location 3 – Janakpur – Kurtha Railway Station, Janakpur

OBJECTIVES
1. To understand the fault mechanism and monitor the surface rupture brought on by the earthquakes of
1934 and 1255.
2. To understand the Bardibas seismic station's data acquisition procedure.

3. To learn about the structural Components used in Railways

METHODOLOGY
The primary method of data collection was used during the field visit. The primary
 method includes:

1. Desk study
i. Study of related research papers
ii. Site investigation through aerial photograph
2. Visual observation of the site
3. Collection of necessary data and photographs
4. Report writing

STUDY OF SURFACE RUPTURE CAUSED BY 1934 AND 1255 EARTHQUAKE

The geoscience research by S.N. Sapkota et al., which provides evidence for the primary surface ruptures of
the large Himalayan earthquakes in 1934 and 1255, was used as the primary methodology. The research
shows that the 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake broke the surface and traces of the rupture are seen clearly at
least 150 km of the Main Frontal Thrust fault in Nepal. The authors used geomorphological mapping of
fluvial deposits, palaeo-seismological logging of river-cut cliffs and trench walls and modeling of calibrated
14C ages .between 85◦ 50’ and 87◦ 20’ E. Additionally, it was demonstrated by the Sir Valley collapse
wedges that the surface was also fractured along that thrust during the 1255 earthquake. Four north-dipping
thrusts, designated F1, F2, F3, and F4, are present along the eastern bank of the Sir Khola River. Out of
these, F1, F2 and F3 are outlined by dark gouges, end upward just below the earth, and terminated nearly
2m-thick gravel layers. With the appearance of F3, which brings sheared Siwaliks on fluvial deposits and
colluvium containing collapsed Siwalik blocks, the primary slope-break around the base of the escarpment
occurs at the same time. Over the four thrusts, the hanging wall's local uplift rate is at least 3.5 mm/yr.

We saw signs of faulting and uplift during our visit to the Sir Khola Valley. The river is currently fully dry
and site cutoffs caused by the Sir khola are evident on its eastern bank. Different rock formation patterns that
happened at various times may be seen in the cutoff area, and it is also evident that mudstone formation
exists above the river bed deposits. The F4 fault zone is easily visible. Unfortunately, we were unable to see
other fault zones because they were hidden by the grass and trees
Fig 1: Faults on Sir River Valley

Fig 2: Present site Condition

 STUDY OF SEISMIC STATION LOCATED AT BARDIBAS

The primary components of a seismic station are a seismometer sensor, a data collecting system, a
communication system, and a power supply system. The equipment is buried about six feet below the
surface in a vault or sealed room that is thermally insulated. A seismic station's primary tool for identifying
and measuring Earth's ground motion is a subsurface seismometer. The seismometer sensors are extremely
sensitive and can detect a wide range of motions, it can detect low-amplitude background vibrations caused
by wind or pounding surf including signals from nearby, nearby regions, and far-off earthquakes

When building a seismic station, the following factors need to be taken into account.

1. In order to properly detect earthquake vibrations, the station site should be as free as possible from
ambient noise sources (both human and environmental).

2. The station needs a constant supply of power. So, the majority of permanent stations use the public grid
for power. For the system's uninterrupted power supply, the proper type of battery is always employed.

3. A communications system to connect to the main seismic network and transmit real-time data via
satellite or mobile networks.

4. A barbed wire fence that is 2-3 meters tall should surround the station to ensure its security.

Modern seismometers, such as those employed by the National Seismological Centre, use a complex
feedback system to electronically monitor the ground motion. The signals are transformed into digital
recordings and kept on a computer in the vault after being converted. These data are continuously transferred
to a data processing center by satellite, broadband Internet, or cellular telemetry systems. The site's and the
region's conditions will determine the sort of communications system that is used. Data are automatically
indexed and forwarded to the National Seismological Center as soon as they are received at the processing
center.

The seismic station in Bardibas is mainly composed of a battery and a seismometer inside, along with two
GPS systems and solar panels on the exterior. Of the two GPS systems available: one helps to measure the
site's physical location, which aids in determining how the earth's crust has moved relative to the global
coordinate system, and another GPS is used for global time calibration. Through a telecommunications link,
data is transferred from the Bardibas seismic station to the National Seismological Center. The system's
stored data can be used to access the data in cases of network congestion (the system have the provision of
memory card which can store data of upto 3 months).
Fig 3: Seismic station at Bardibas
STUDY OF STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF RAILWAYS

The first railway line in Nepal ran for 48 kilometres between Amalekhagunj (in Nepal) and Raxaul (in
India), starting in 1927 AD and ending in 1960 AD. A second 51 km long railway service from Jainagar in
India to Janakpur and Bijalpura in Nepal was started in 1937 AD. Currently it operates passenger transport
service on the 33 kilometres line from Jainagar, India to Kurtha, Nepal.
The structural components of the railway mainly consists of Steel rails, Railway sleeper, Fastners and fish
plates and fish bolts. The railway track also consists of ballasts which forms the tracked upon
which sleepers are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to bear the load from
the railroad ties, to facilitate drainage of water, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with
the track structure.

Figure: Nepal Railway

 figure : Railway station at Kurtha

CONCLUSION

The field trip at Bardibas, where we saw some evidence of movement along the MFT fault line that
demonstrates the slide during the 1934 and 1255 Nepal earthquakes, was Very beneficial. This demonstrates
the Indian Plate's convergence with the Eurasian Plate.
Further, we went to the Bardibas seismic station and understood how it operates, gathers data, and networks
with the national grid.
Likewise, we went to Kurtha and Janakpurdham railway stations to learn about the structural elements of the
railways and the way the railway system operates.
 RECOMMENDATION
The most apparent surface indication of the fracture mechanism caused by 1934 earthquake is in the Sir
Khola valley.It is also one of few evidences of such type caused by any earthquake in Nepal. However, the
site is being weathered and covered by the trees and grasses as a result of the open space and river cut-offs,
and the evidence may eventually disappear due to the frequent river cut-offs. Therefore, the site needs to be
protected in order to serve as a historical record of the fault mechanism that caused the two major
earthquakes.

REFERENCES

1. S.N. Sapkota et. all, Primary surface ruptures of the great Himalayan earthquakes in 1934 and
1255, 2013