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The Main Kopetdag fault of Turkmenistan: from palaeoseismology to geodynamics

The Main Kopetdag fault (MKDF) of Turkmenistan is a key tectonic feature within the active tectonics of the Arabia-Eurasia continental collision and the geodynamics of the South Caspian basin. The fault runs along the edge of the Kopetdag (or Kopeh Dagh) mountains, which form the northern margin of the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone. The tectonics are complicated by proximity to the South Caspian Basin, which is an enigmatic ‘block’, filled with up to 20 km of Cenozoic sediment, and possibly floored by oceanic crust of Mesozoic age. The South Caspian is moving relative to its surroundings, with a roughly northwest motion relative to Eurasia that introduces oblique right-lateral and shortening components across the western Kopetdag. The lateral component decreases eastwards as the influence of the Caspian diminishes, and the Kopetdag instead accommodates Arabia-Eurasia shortening.

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webinar

Online webinar by Ramon Arrowsmith on 30 May, 2022: Seismotectonics and surface rupture of large intraplate earthquakes: an example from the M7.8 1911 Kebin (Chon Kemin) Earthquake, Northern Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan

In the framework of our NATO-funded project SPS G5690 – “Earthquake Hazard and Environmental Security in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan” we will run an ~1 hr online webinar. Ramon Arrowsmith from Arizona State University will talk about Seismotectonics and surface rupture of large intraplate earthquakes: an example from the M7.8 1911 Kebin (Chon Kemin) Earthquake, Northern Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan.

The webinar is open for everyone interested and will be held via zoom (https://uni-jena-de.zoom.us/j/8941887790 Meeting-ID: 894 188 7790; Password: EQAsia).

Date: 30 May, 2022

Time: 3 pm UK time (3 pm London; 4 pm Berlin & Paris; 10 pm Beijing; 7 am San Francisco)

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webinar

Video: Talk by Jeff Ritz on “Unprecedented surface rupture and shallow fault reactivation during the 2019 Mw 4.9 Le Teil earthquake, France”

On 26 April, 2022, Jean-Francois Ritz from Géosciences Montpellier talked about Unprecedented surface rupture and shallow fault reactivation during the 2019 Mw 4.9 Le Teil earthquake, France: What does paleoseismology reveal? in the framework of our NATO-funded project SPS G5690 – “Earthquake Hazard and Environmental Security in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan”. In case you missed Jeff’s presentation, here’s the video.

Watch this space for future talks, always on the last Monday of every month, and follow us on Twitter for updates: https://twitter.com/QuakesCentAsia

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webinar

Online webinar by Jeff Ritz on 26 April, 2022: Unprecedented surface rupture and shallow fault reactivation during the 2019 Mw 4.9 Le Teil earthquake, France: What does paleoseismology reveal?

In the framework of our NATO-funded project SPS G5690 – “Earthquake Hazard and Environmental Security in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan” we will run an ~1 hr online webinar. Jean-Francois Ritz from Géosciences Montpellier will talk about Unprecedented surface rupture and shallow fault reactivation during the 2019 Mw 4.9 Le Teil earthquake, France: What does paleoseismology reveal? The webinar is open for everyone interested and will be held via zoom (https://uni-jena-de.zoom.us/j/8941887790 Meeting-ID: 894 188 7790; Password: EQAsia).

Date: 26 April, 2022

Time: 3 pm UK time (3 pm London; 4 pm Berlin & Paris; 10 pm Beijing; 7 am San Francisco)

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Combining palaeoseismic and archaeological records along the Silk Roads of Uzbekistan

In March 2022 we spent a week in Uzbekistan discussing projects and undertaking field investigations in collaboration with the Institute of Seismology, National Academy of Sciences.

Map of the sites visited during our trip along with active faults from the AFEAD database and historical earthquakes from the EMCA database.

Uzbekistan is sited at the westernmost margin of the Tien Shan ranges, with environments ranging from high mountains along the borders with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan through to desert in the west. There is a proven widespread earthquake hazard, with examples of destructive earthquakes including an event in 1966 that caused widespread destruction in the capital city of Tashkent.

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webinar

Video: Talk by Kathryn Fitzsimmons on 28 March, 2022: What goes on between the mountains and the deserts?

On 28 March, 2022, Kathryn Fitzsimmons from the University of Tübingen gave a talk about What goes on between the mountains and the deserts? A sedimentary view of past environments along the Tien Shan piedmont in the framework of our NATO-funded project SPS G5690 – “Earthquake Hazard and Environmental Security in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan”. In case you missed Kathryn’s presentation, here’s the video.

Watch this space for future talks, always on the last Monday of every month, and follow us on Twitter for updates: https://twitter.com/QuakesCentAsia

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webinar

Online Webinar by Kathryn Fitzsimmons on 28 March, 2022: What goes on between the mountains and the deserts?

In the framework of our NATO-funded project SPS G5690 – “Earthquake Hazard and Environmental Security in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan” we will run an ~1 hr online webinar. Kathryn Fitzsimmons from the University of Tübingen will talk about What goes on between the mountains and the deserts? A sedimentary view of past environments along the Tien Shan piedmont. The webinar is open for everyone interested and will be held via zoom (https://uni-jena-de.zoom.us/j/8941887790 Meeting-ID: 894 188 7790; Password: EQAsia).

Date: 28 March, 2022

Time: 3 pm UK time (3 pm London; 4 pm Berlin & Paris; 10 pm Beijing; 7 am San Francisco)

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webinar

Video: Talk by Victoria Stevens on Strain Rate & Seismicity in the India-Asia Collision Zone for PSHA

On 28 Feb, 2022, Victoria Stevens from the Earth Observatory of Singapore gave a talk about The Relationship between Strain Rate and Seismicity in the India-Asia Collision Zone: Implications for Probabilistic Seismic Hazard in the framework of our NATO-funded project SPS G5690 – “Earthquake Hazard and Environmental Security in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan”. In case you missed Victoria’s presentation, here’s the video.

Watch this space for future talks, always on the last Monday of every second month, and follow us on Twitter for updates: https://twitter.com/QuakesCentAsia

Categories
webinar

Online Webinar by Victoria Stevens on 28 Feb, 2022: On the Relationship between Strain Rate and Seismicity in the India-Asia Collision Zone: Implications for Probabilistic Seismic Hazard

In the framework of our NATO-funded project SPS G5690 – “Earthquake Hazard and Environmental Security in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan” we will run an ~1 hr online webinar. Victoria Stevens from the Earth Observatory of Singapore will talk about The Relationship between Strain Rate and Seismicity in the India-Asia Collision Zone: Implications for Probabilistic Seismic Hazard. The webinar is open for everyone interested and will be held via zoom (https://uni-jena-de.zoom.us/j/8941887790 Meeting-ID: 894 188 7790; Password: EQAsia).

Date: 28 February, 2022

Time: 3 pm UK time (3 pm London; 4 pm Berlin & Paris; 10 pm Beijing; 7 am San Francisco)

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research updates

Journey to the Roof of the World: how fast does the Pamir Frontal Thrust move?

Ben Johnson, a PhD student from the University of Oxford, describes his experiences from fieldwork over the summer of 2021. Read on to find out more about the Alai valley, glacial histories, and shortening across the northern margin of the Pamir.

The Pamir and Tien Shan are colliding along the Alai valley as part of the wider India-Eurasia continental collision. The Pamir are moving northwards along the Pamir Frontal Thrust (PFT), closing the valley. The rate of shortening across the PFT is contested, with short-term geodetic rates from GPS giving faster rates from those measured from palaeoseismology.