Cascading hazards of a major Bengal basin earthquake and abrupt avulsion of the Ganges River

Elizabeth L.Chamberlain, Steven Goodbred, Michael G. Steckler, J Wallinga, Tony Reimann, Syed Humayun Akhter, Rachel Bain, Golam Muktadir, Abdullah Al Nahian, F.M. Arifur Rahman, Mahfuzur Rahman, Leonardo Seeber, Christoph von Hagke

Research output: Contribution to specialist publicationArticle

Abstract

Earthquakes present severe hazards for people and economies and can be primary drivers of landscape change yet their impact to river-channel networks remains poorly known. Here we show evidence for an abrupt earthquake-triggered avulsion of the Ganges River at ~2.5 ka leading to relocation of the mainstem channel belt in the Bengal delta. This is recorded in freshly discovered sedimentary archives of an immense relict channel and a paleo-earthquake of sufficient magnitude to cause major liquefaction and generate large, decimeter-scale sand dikes >180 km from the nearest seismogenic source region. Precise luminescence ages of channel sand, channel fill, and breached and partially liquefied floodplain deposits support coeval timing of the avulsion and earthquake. Evidence for reorganization of the river-channel network in the world’s largest delta broadens the risk posed by seismic events in the region and their recognition as geomorphic agents in this and other tectonically active lowlands. The recurrence of comparable earthquake-triggered ground liquefaction and a channel avulsion would be catastrophic for any of the heavily populated, large river basins and deltas along the Himalayan arc (e.g., Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Ayeyarwady). The compounding effects of climate change and human impacts heighten and extend the vulnerability of many lowlands worldwide to such cascading hazards.

Original languageEnglish
Number of pages12
Volume15
No.4975
Specialist publicationNature Communications
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

Fields of Science and Technology Classification 2012

  • 105 Geosciences

Cite this