The motion and active deformation of India

Abstract

Measurements of surface displacements using GPS constrain the motion and deformation of India and India‐Eurasia plate boundary deformation along the Himalaya. The GPS velocities of plate‐interior sites constrain the pole of the angular velocity vector of India with respect to Eurasia to lie at 25.6±1.0°N 11.1±9.0°E, approximately 6° west of the NUVEL‐1A pole of <3 Ma plate motion. The angular rotation rate of 0.44 ±0.03°Myr −1 is 14% slower than the long‐term rate of 0.51° Myr −1 . Insignificant velocities between plate interior sites indicate that the exposed Indian plate is stable to within 7 · 10 −9 yr −1 . The observed contraction vector across the Himalaya (≤20 mm/yr) veers from ∼N20°E in the northwest Himalaya to ∼N25°W in east Nepal, consistent with east‐west extension of southern Tibet.