Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Environmental Earth Sciences (2018) 77:600 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7787-6 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Assessment of morphometric parameters for the development of Relative Active Tectonic Index and its signifcant for seismic hazard study: an integrated geoinformatic approach Snehasish Ghosh 1,2  · R. Sivakumar 1,2 Received: 23 October 2017 / Accepted: 23 August 2018 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract Earthquake is a geological natural hazard which is shaking of earth’s surface due to seismic activity. The Himalayan region and quaternary geological surface of Indian sub-continent had experienced several earthquakes in the recent geological period due to reactivation of existing faults. Surface drainage system and its morphometric characteristics are controlled by subsurface geo-structural features and active tectonic process which have greater impact on seismic activity. Thus, the present study focuses on the analysis of morphometric parameters for the development of Relative Active Tectonic Index (RATI) and its signifcant for seismic hazard assessment using geoinformatics. The diferent morphometric parameters have been analyzed and geospatial databases have been generated. The RATI has been estimated by considering higher priority tectonic infuencing parameters based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) methods and the output has also been inte- grated with thematic and seismological databases to understand its signifcance for seismotectonic activity. The result shows that the very high and high Relative Active Tectonic Index are observed in greater and lesser Himalayan sequence, where frequency of earthquake and its magnitudes are also high. The anomalous nature of drainage network, compressed meander in youthful stage, presence of high resistance rocks, structural control on drainage network, relief steepness, and v-shaped narrow valley are the indicator of active tectonics and seismic activity in this region. Even though the foothills micro-basin shows moderate or low Relative Active Tectonic Index, morphometric analysis depicts that it is highly elongated in nature with signifcant surface tilt and have a greater infuence of tectonic deformation. In addition, the continuous stress from Main Frontal Thrust has a signifcant role for the landscape upliftment and seismic activity in this region. The micro-basin which is located in the quaternary alluvial surface, has not produced any major earthquake in the past, but has greater infuence on tectonic activity and may produce earthquake in the future. Keywords Earthquake · Drainage morphometry · Relative active tectonic · Geoinformatics · Seismic hazard Introduction Earthquake is a dynamic natural phenomenon which is induced by the displacement of the rock mass in the active tectonic zone (Kuk et al. 2000; Keller and Pinter 2002). The rock displacement occurs due to continues tensional and compressional force which is acting upon the sub-surface lithology (Singh 2005). When the force exceeds the strength of the rock mass, deformation takes place (Keller and Pinter 2002). Most of the time, deformation of rocks produces cracks and fractures in the subsurface lithology, while con- tinuous deformation process breaks the rocks and forms a fault along which displacement occurs (Delic and Radojicic 2005). The movement of faults in recent geological period is recognized as active faults which is the source of signifcant * Snehasish Ghosh snehasishghosh.s@ktr.srmuniv.ac.in; snehasishghosh.s10@gmail.com R. Sivakumar sivakumar.r@ktr.srmuniv.ac.in 1 Earthquake Research Cell, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, India 2 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, India