Slip on an active wedge thrust from geodetic observations of the 8 October 2005 Kashmir earthquake

By combining global positioning system observations of surface displacements and the locations of aftershocks, we infer that the 8 October 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred on multiple fault planes. Mean slip of ~5.1 m occurred on a rupture between Bagh and Balakot with strike 331[degrees] and dip 29[degrees]. Additional slip occurred at depth on a NNE-dipping fault plane extending WNW from Balakot, and on an intersecting nearly flat dislocation at ~5 km depth, forming an active wedge thrust. Both the simple fault plane and the blind wedge accommodate convergence between Peshawar and Leh, Ladakh, accumulating at 7 [+ or -] 2 mm/yr, suggesting a 680 [+ or -] 150 yr recurrence interval for Kashmir 2005-like events. Keywords: Kashmir earthquake, wedge thrust, Himalayan tectonics.