M7.5 - NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

Tectonic Summary

The Nicobar Islands region earthquake of June 12, 2010 occurred as a result of oblique-reverse faulting in close proximity to the oceanic trench defining the bathymetric expression of the plate boundary between the Australia-India and Sunda plates. At the location of this earthquake, the Australia and India Plates move northwards with respect to the Sunda plate at a velocity of approximately 45-50 mm/yr. On the basis of the currently available fault mechanism information, earthquake location and depth, it is likely that this earthquake occurred within the Australia-India oceanic plate, rather than on the interplate thrust boundary.

Today's earthquake was located adjacent to the 1300 km long rupture area of the devastating Mw 9.1 earthquake of December 2004, approximately 650 km to the north west of the hypocenter of that event, in a region of the Australia-India plate that has experienced a broad variety of faulting mechanisms in the past.

Earthquake Information for India