Data used in the study: Sinking Slab Stress and Seismo-tectonics of the Indo-Burmese Arc: A Reappraisal

Differing views on the north-eastern Indian plate subduction and its seismic potential place the subduction process as a relict, ceased, creeping, or fully locked, challenging the seismic hazard uncertainty estimates of Indo-Burmese Arc (IBA) at either extreme. To clear some of these contentions, we re-examine the state of the IBA stress field using available earthquake faulting mechanism solutions. Our stress inversion results underline the tectonic complexity and emphasize that the stress of this subduction is primarily driven by the northward oblique motion of the Indian Plate. Models highlight the presence of the least compressive stresses as the margin-normal component all along the shallow sinking slab. Furthermore, solutions link the shallow strike-slip earthquakes with the lateral slab shear due to oblique slip-partitioning. Spatial variations in the Indian slab stress field indicate higher margin-parallel compression at the Naga versus the Chin and Rakhaine-Arakan segments, imp...