Rema Vaishali
Seismologist · Senior Research Fellow (DST-INSPIRE)
Institute of Seismological Research (ISR), Gandhinagar, India
I study the structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath the Kachchh rift basin, Northwestern Deccan Volcanic Province, the region of the 2001 Mw 7.7 Bhuj earthquake. My work combines receiver-function imaging and shear-wave splitting to map crustal velocity structure, seismic anisotropy and mantle discontinuities. I collaborate with the Institute of Geosciences at Goethe University Frankfurt.
Research
Crustal Structure
Receiver-function imaging of crustal thickness, Vp/Vs and shear-velocity structure beneath the Bhuj epicentral zone.
Mantle Transition Zone & LAB
Transition-zone discontinuities and the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary beneath the Northwestern Deccan Volcanic Province, and what they reveal about plume-mediated upper-mantle processes.
Seismic Anisotropy
Crustal and mantle anisotropy from Ps splitting of receiver functions, local S-wave and SK(K)S splitting, and their implications for crust–mantle coupling.
Monitoring & Hazard
Real-time earthquake monitoring with the Gujarat State Seismic Network, and site characterisation from ambient noise and earthquake waveforms.
Tools: Python · ObsPy · MATLAB · Seispy · RfsedPy · SplitRF · SplitRacer · NA inversion · GMT · ArcGIS · Geopsy
Selected Publications
All publications →- Mantle transition zone dynamics beneath the Northwestern Deccan Volcanic Province, India: Implications for plume mediated upper mantle processes Tectonophysics, 231000 (2025). DOI
- Seismic evidence of magmatic underplating in the epicentral zone of 2001 Bhuj earthquake, Kachchh region, Gujarat, Western India: P-receiver function perspective Natural Hazards, 1–30 (2024). DOI
- Spatial distribution of crustal anisotropy in the epicentral zone of the Mw 7.7 Bhuj 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, India from splitting analysis of local S waves Journal of Earth System Science, 135, 208 (2026) DOI
Highlights
- DST-INSPIRE FellowPh.D. fellowship, Govt. of India, 2021–present
- 2nd Prize, AES-2024Talk on mantle transition zone structure, IIT Roorkee
- Anni Talwani Memorial GrantFor young women researchers, Indian Geophysical Union, 2022
- University Gold MedalM.Sc. Applied Geophysics, 2019
- Book review: Inge Lehmann“If I Am Right, and I Know I Am” by Hanne Strager. Geoscientist, Geological Society of London, 2025
- Book review: When Worlds QuakeBy Hrvoje Tkalčić. Geoscientist, Geological Society of London, 2026
Gallery
View all photos →
