Dr. K. Madhusudhana Rao (Scientist-E)

Thrust areas of research:

My research work mainly focused on

• Understanding the causes of earthquakes through studying deep structure using receiver function analysis and anisotropy using shear wave splitting.

• Short term Earthquake Precursors by studying multi parametric geophysical observations and ionosphere precursors using space based observations.

We use observations of seismic anisotropy in the Earth’s mantle to address major unsolved problems related to the dynamics of earth from the surface to the core-mantle boundary. This research encompasses investigations of anisotropy using shear wave splitting analysis in the crust, upper mantle, mid-mantle (transition zone and uppermost lower mantle) and in the D” region at the base of the mantle. We are also interested to understand the structure, evolution, and deformation of continental lithosphere using receiver function technique.

We are looking after three Multi Parametric Geophysical Observatories to pursue earthquake precursory research with various Geophysical instruments (Super Conducting Gravimeter, Magnetometers, Radon Monitors and Water Level Recorders) in the Kutch region.

Research Publications:

• Sumer Chopra, Dinesh Kumar and K.M. Rao, “Attenuation of P and S waves in the Kachchh Region”, J.Ind.Geophys.Union, Vol 12, No.1, PP 11-22, January 2008

• Sumer Chopra, K. Madhusudhan Rao, B. Sairam, Santosh Kumar, A.K. Gupta, Hardik Patel, M.S. Gadhavi and B.K.Rastogi, “Earthquake Swarm Activities after Rains in Peninsular India and a Case Study from Jamnagar “, Jour.Geol.Soc.India, Vol.72, August 2008

• Sumer Chopra, R.B.S.Yadav, Hardik Patel, Santosh Kumar, K. M. Rao and B.K.Rastogi, “The Gujarat(India) Seismic Network”, Seismological Research Letters, Volume 79, Number 6, November/December 2008

• Sumer Chopra, K.M.Rao and B.K.Rastogi, “Thickness of Sediments in Kachchh Region, Gujarat, Western India Using Sp Converted Phases”, Pure and Applied Geophysics (Pageoph), 09 Dec, 2009, DOI 10.1007/s00024-009-0023-

• K Madhusudhan Rao, M Ravi Kumar, A Singh, and BK Rastogi, “Two distinct shear wave splitting directions in the northwestern Deccan Volcanic Province”, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, October 2013, 118, 5487–5499, doi:10.1002/

• Simha, C.P., G. Pavan Kumar, P. Mahesh, A. Navneeth, K.M. Rao, B.K. Rastogi, V.N. Sridhar and A.K. Shukla (2013). Ionospheric disturbances with the time of Occurrence, magnitude and location of the earthquakes (M6.5) near the Indian sub-continent, Natural Hazards, vol. 70 (1), 935- 940, DOI 10.1007/s11069-013-0816-6

• K.Madhusudhanarao, M. Ravikumar and B.K.Rastogi, “Seismic evidences for Underplating and Uplifted Crust beneath the Northwestern Deccan Volcanic Province, India”, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, April 2015, 121, 1-21, doi:10.1002/2015JB010239

• C. Prasanna Simha , Annam Navaneeth, K. M. Rao, B. K. Rastogi, G. Pavan Kumar, P. Mahesh, V. N. Sridhar, A. K. Shukla, Spatial and temporal variations of total electron content (TEC) and outgoing long wave radiation (OLR) during the period of greater earthquakes near the Indian subcontinent, Natural Hazards, October 2015, 1-10, DOI 10.1007/s11069-015-2058-2

• Sushanta Ku Sahoo, Madhusudhanarao Katlamudi, Jerin P. Shaji, K. S. Murali Krishna and G. Udaya Lakshmi (2018) Influence of meteorological parameters on the soil radon (Rn222) emanation in Kutch, Gujarat, India, Environ Monit Assess 190: 111, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6434-0

• Sushanta Ku Sahoo, Madhusudhanarao Katlamudi, Chiranjib Barman, G. Udaya Lakshmi, (2020) Identification of earthquake precursors in soil radon-222 data of Kutch, Gujarat, India using empirical mode decomposition based Hilbert Huang Transform, Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 222(2020)106353, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106353

• Sushanta Ku Sahoo, Madhusudhanarao Katlamudi, G. Udaya Lakshmi, (2020), Singular spectrum analysis on soil radon time series (222Rn) in Kachchh, Gujarat, India: detection of periodic oscillations and earthquake precursors, Arabian Journal of Geosciences 13:973, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05946-y

• Bulusu, Jayashree., Simha, C., Arora, Kusumita., Rao, K.M. (2020). Statistical characteristics of low latitude Pc4s: Influence of Solar wind and IMF parameters. Advances in Space Research. 65, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2020.01.001

• C. Prasanna Simha, Venkatanathan Natarajan, and Katlamudi Madhusudhana Rao, (2020) Pre-earthquake Atmospheric and Ionospheric Anomalies before Taiwan Earthquakes (M 6.1 and M 6.4) on February (4th and 6th), 2018, Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (Springer, ISSN 0016-7932), Vol. 60, No. 5, pp. 644–660, https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793220050151

• Shivam Joshi and Madhusudhanarao Katlamudi, (2020) Influence of Solar wind parameters on equatorial magnetic observatories during intense geomagnetic storms of the year 2015, Journal of Scientific Research, ISSN 2070-0237 eISSN 2070-0245, Vol 12 No 3, 64-79. http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jsr.v12i3.42798

• Swati; Birbal Singh; Devbrat Pundhir; Ashwini K. Sinha; K. Madhusudan Rao; Anirban Guha; Yashuhide Hobara, (2020) Ultra-low frequency (ULF) magnetic field emissions associated with some major earthquakes occurred in Indian Subcontinent, Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, DOI: 10.1016/j.jastp.2020.105469

Projects

• Member in the DST, GOI sponsored project “Seismological Research and Applications in Gujarat” during 2006-2009 (about Rs. 2.69 Cr)

• PI of CALVAL Project sponsored by ISRO during 2013-2022 (about Rs. 2.1 Cr)

• PI of Multiparametric Geophysical and Geochemical Observations in Kachchh Project sponsored by DST-GoG during 2013-2018 (about Rs. 3.7 Cr)

• PI of Seismic Array in Kachchh, Western India to decipher the structure and Anisotropy Project sponsored by DST-GoG during 2016-2022 (about Rs. 5.53 Cr)

• PI of A study on Electromagnetic Earthquake Precursors using long term high precision Geomagnetic Measurements (EM-SEIS) in Kachchh Project sponsored by DST-GoG during 2018-2023 (about Rs. 3.34 Cr)

Achievements :

• Recipient of National Awards on e-Governance GOLD Award on ‘Effective Seismological Monitoring Through e-Governance to Save Lives and Damage Due To Earthquakes” during 2013-14.

• Recipient of Order of Merit Award honored by Indian Society of Earthquake Science, Jan 2015 for outstanding contribution in Earth Sciences in India.

• Recipient of ‘Outstanding Performance’ being given by Dr B.K.Rastogi, Director General, ISR, Gandhinagar, Gujarat in 2011.

• Awarded All India 105 rank in the GATE-95 examination in the discipline of ‘GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS’ conducted by prestigious premier institute IIT, KHARGPUR