Four interconnected areas of geological inquiry — each grounded in field observation and shaped by Nepal's unique tectonic setting.
The Himalayan orogen represents one of Earth's most geologically active and structurally complex regions — the product of ongoing Indo-Asian continental collision initiated approximately 50 million years ago. My interest lies in understanding how this collision is expressed at the surface through fold-and-thrust belt kinematics, active fault behaviour, and crustal shortening.
Specific focus areas include the Main Central Thrust (MCT), Main Boundary Thrust (MBT), and their relationships to seismicity patterns observed across Nepal. Field investigation of shear zones, ductile deformation fabrics, and metamorphic mineral assemblages provides insight into the thermal and strain history of the orogen.
Read Full Article →Nepal experiences some of the world's highest landslide incidence rates, driven by steep relief, intense monsoon precipitation, active tectonics, and increasingly vulnerable infrastructure. My research focuses on the geotechnical and geophysical investigation of slope instability — moving beyond inventory mapping toward understanding the precise failure mechanisms operating in specific geological contexts.
Current work along the Prithvi Highway corridor applies ERT profiling to characterise the subsurface architecture of active landslide bodies — identifying saturated zones, lithological contacts, and failure surface geometry that surface mapping alone cannot resolve.
Read Full Article →Non-invasive geophysical methods provide an invaluable window into subsurface geology — one that is especially critical in Nepal's remote high-mountain terrain where drilling is costly and logistically challenging. I am particularly interested in Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) as a tool for imaging subsurface lithological contrasts, groundwater distribution, and failure zone architecture.
My geophysical work draws on Wenner-Schlumberger electrode configurations to optimise resolution at investigation depths of 15–50 metres — the range most relevant for shallow landslide and foundation engineering applications across Nepal's sedimentary and metasedimentary terrains.
Read Full Article →Climate change is not a future threat for the Himalayan region — it is an ongoing geological reality. Accelerating glacial retreat, shifting monsoon patterns, and rising mean temperatures are fundamentally altering the frequency and magnitude of geological hazards across Nepal. My interest lies in understanding these climate-geology interactions and their implications for vulnerable mountain communities.
Key areas of inquiry include Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) hazard evolution, increased debris flow frequency in deglaciating catchments, and the role of permafrost degradation in destabilising high-altitude slopes. This research sits at the boundary of geology, hydrology, and climate science.
Read Full Article →ERT imaging creates 2D and 3D resistivity cross-sections of the shallow subsurface (5–100 m depth), distinguishing lithological boundaries, saturation zones, and failure surfaces with centimetre-scale resolution in favourable conditions.
Systematic mapping of rock types, structural features (folds, faults, joints), and surficial geology at scales from 1:1,000 to 1:25,000 — the irreplaceable foundation of all geological understanding.
Integration of satellite imagery, DEM analysis, and GIS tools for regional geological mapping, landslide inventory compilation, and hazard zonation at scales impractical for ground-based methods alone.
Thin-section microscopy of rock samples collected during fieldwork enables mineralogical identification, textural description, and interpretation of deformation and metamorphic history at the grain scale.
Collection and stereonet analysis of structural measurements (strike, dip, fold axes, fault striations) to reconstruct deformation history and assess current tectonic activity.
Application of rock mass classification systems (RMR, Q-system) and slope stability analysis methods to quantify engineering geological conditions and inform hazard mitigation design.