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Research Update

2024 USA meeting and field trip

Report on the final activity in the NATO-funded project SPS G5690 – “Earthquake Hazard and Environmental Security in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan”: 2024 USA meeting and field trip

Participants:

  • Prof. Ramón Arrowsmith, ASU Tempe, USA
  • Prof. Magali Rizza, UQAM, Canada
  • Dr. Cholponbek Ormukov, American University of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan
  • Dr. Christoph Grützner, FSU Jena, Germany
  • Aidyn Mukambayev, KNDC, Kazakhstan
  • Gulkaiyr Tilekova, Institute of Seismology, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
  • Erkin Rakhmedinov, Institute of Seismology, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
  • Sultan Baikulov, Institute of Seismology, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
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Research Update

On the urgent need for greater earthquake resilience in continental Asia

In a new correspondence published in Nature Geosciences, we emphasize the urgent need for greater earthquake resilience in continental Asia. Recent earthquakes far away from Almaty caused significant shaking in the former capital of Kazakhstan, reminding us that Almaty has been badly damaged by three strong earthquakes in 1887, 1889, and 1911. Back then, the earthquakes also happened on faults distant to the city, but there is a lot of evidence that the city itself sits on a long active fault. Building resilience now, before the next big quake strikes, is urgently needed. This holds true not only for Almaty, but for many other Central Asian cities with large populations that are located on, or very close to, active faults, such as Bishkek, Tashkent, Tehran, or Ashgabat.

Abdrakhmatov, K., Arrowsmith, R., Elliott, J., Grützner, C., Mukambayev, A., Rizza, M., Shnizai Z., Walker, R. T., Weldon, R., & Wilkinson, R. (2024). Urgent need for greater earthquake resilience in continental Asia. Nature Geoscience 17, 818–819.

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Research Update

Environmental Hazards in Asia workshop, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

It has been a real pleasure to spend the last two weeks in Mongolia, after a break of 11 years since my last visit. The reason was to attend the 1st Environmental Hazards in Asia meeting, hosted by the Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (IAG) of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, and with kind support through the Association Academies and Scientific Societies of Asia (AASSA), Rio Tinto and Oyu Tolgoi, COMET, the Mount Paektu Research Center, and others. I was honoured to be included as part of the organizing committee.

Sunset over Tsagaan Nuur, Tariat, during the post-conference fieldtrip
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Research Update

Active faulting and earthquake hazards in the Toktogul basin. A report from fieldwork in Kyrgyzstan, 2024

Active folding along the northern side of the Toktogul basin, viewed across the reservoir that occupies much of the basin interior.

A joint team from Oxford, the Institute of Seismology in Bishkek, and the National Nuclear Center in Almaty undertook several weeks of fieldwork in July and August of 2024, within the framework of our NATO SPS project on environmental security in the Tien Shan. Our particular interest in this field project was to investigate evidences for active faulting and to assess the types and frequency of earthquakes that might occur on faults in the Toktogul basin. The main road connecting North and South Kyrgyzstan passes through this valley, and there are several existing and proposed hydropower plants along the Naryn river. Understanding the distribution of active faults, the styles and magnitudes of earthquakes, and the timing of past events is therefore important for estimating earthquake hazard to the infrastructure, as well as to local populations.

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Research Update

1st Environmental Hazards in Asia Conference

The first Environmental Hazards in Asia Conference will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 12-15 August with a field trip from 16-20 August. This conference aims to bring together practitioners of both with a focus on the hazards across Asia. The workshop will be structured to allow exploration of the underlying physical mechanics of hazards, explore the impacts of historical events across the continent and focus on the possible approaches to minimizing future impacts. The aim is to facilitate new ideas and proposals. Funds to support travel and subsistence to up to 20 participants from across Asia are available.

May 15th – Abstract submission deadline
June 1st – Fieldtrip registration deadline
July 12th – Online registration deadline

Meeting website: www.environmentalhazardsasia.wordpress.com

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Research Update

Giant landslides of the Tien shan

Julie Losen describes her recently published article presenting the first results of the analysis of the giant Beshkiol landslide and its associated lakes in Kyrgyzstan. The work is now published in the journal ‘Geomorphology’

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169555X24000710

Panoramic photo of the Beshkiol landslide.
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Video: Space Race interviews Richard Walker on satellite data and geophysics

In a 20 mins interview with Space Race, Richard Walker talks about our work on large earthquakes and active faults in Central Asia, tectonic geomorphology, our use of satellite data, DEMs, and much more.

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research updates

New book: Earthquakes of Kyrgyzstan

Our team has been working in the Tien Shan for many years now and we are very happy to present one of the key outcomes of our several projects. In the new book Earthquakes of Kyrgyzstan we provide an overview over strong earthquakes that occurred in Kyrgyzstan, both instrumental and from paleoseismological studies. The book is open access and can be downloaded here:

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Earthquakes and tectonics of the Kura basin, Azerbaijan

Ian Pierce describes his recent field trip to Azerbaijan, excavating trenches along the southern Caucasus thrusts and looking for evidence of historical earthquakes.

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Research Update

Palaeoseismology and archaeoseismology along the Silk Roads of Uzbekistan

Krzysztof Gaidzik describes his recent experiences searching for past earthquakes and active faults as part of the Earthquakes in Central Asia project.

Bibi-Khanym Mosque strongly damaged during the 1897 earthquake.
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