Scope of my PhD
Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural hazards, yet the timing and magnitude of past earthquakes remain difficult to constrain. My PhD project is part of the SNSF project, ‘Capturing Quakes in Quartz and Feldspar’ and focuses on reconstructing the timing and scale of Quaternary fault activity along the Himalayan Main Frontal Thrust (MFT) in India. The MFT is one of the major active fault systems in the Himalayas, accommodating part of the ongoing convergence between the Indian and Eurasian plates. However, its history of activity over Quaternary timescales remains poorly constrained.
I will use multiple trapped-charge dating methods, luminescence and ESR, to investigate fault activity in the Himalayan MFT. By combining these approaches with field observations and inverse modelling, I aim to provide new insights into the timing and magnitude of fault activation, contributing to a better understanding of the evolution of the MFT and its implications for seismic hazard in the Himalayan region.
Biography
I am originally from Grenoble, France, where I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences and Master’s degrees in Geohazards and Earth System Sciences at Université Grenoble Alpes. During my studies, I developed an interest in natural hazards, geomorphology and tectonic processes.
Before joining the ICE group at IDYST, I worked on natural hazards and active tectonics through research internships at ISTerre, BRGM and INRAE. During my most recent internship at ISTerre, I combined InSAR, geomorphological mapping and geochronological techniques to investigate long-term and short-term slip rates along the Middle Branch of the North Anatolian Fault.
Contact
Clara-Louise Chabot
University of Lausanne
Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics
Géopolis, office 4413
1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
clara-louise.chabot@unil.ch