Category: Research Update

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Workshop on earthquake geology and infrastructure safety in central Asia November 10-20th 2025

As part of an ongoing programme funded by the UK FCDO we undertook a field workshop in Kazakhstan, 10-20th November, which had the aims of 1) Provision training in making field-based earthquake geology observations, 2) Providing a forum for discussion of national priorities and networking, 3) Looking for opportunities for further work in the central Asian countries related to active fault mapping and characterization, and means of identifying and monitoring regions of landslide hazard.

The workshop took place in Saty, near the Kolsai national park. This is also the epicentral zone of the magnitude 8+ 1889 Chilik earthquake, and we were able to spend much of our time out in the field, gaining experience of mapping and site selection, surveying with drones, paleoseismic trench interpretation, and sampling for a range of quaternary dating techniques. We combined the field activities with analysis of the data, formal lectures, and conference-style presentations. 

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Active faulting, landsliding, and hydropower development in Kyrgyzstan – a report on 2025 fieldwork

We report on initial results from a new project providing up-to-date active fault maps and earthquake potential in the vicinity of proposed hydropower plants in central Kyrgyzstan. The project includes primary research and a series of training and networking activities. It is funded through the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO).

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Open position: Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Active Faulting and Earthquake Hazards at Uni Oxford

The Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, seeks to appoint a full-time Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Active Faulting and Earthquake Hazards. The post holder will report to Prof. Richard Walker, Principal Investigator on the project.

The successful candidate will work closely with Prof. Richard Walker, along with the broader COMET community, on a project sponsored by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) aimed at providing active fault maps and information about earthquake potential and related hazards in proximity to major hydropower developments in Kyrgyzstan. The project will involve both remote-sensing and field-based observations and data collection. It will provide outputs to the World Bank CAWEP (Central Asia Water Energy Power) programme to aid the design process, leading to more resilient development. An important second aim of the project is in working with networks of institutes in central Asia to strengthen capacity, and to develop further efforts in hazard identification across the region. 

Closing Date & Time: 01-Aug-2025 12:00

More details here.

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Earthquakes in North Africa: a reconnaissance of active faulting along the margins of the Atlas mountains of Morocco

Though most of our work is focused in the earthquake-prone regions of Asia, many of the methods we employ have general applicability, and there are many similarities in the landscape and structural development along major compressional mountain ranges worldwide. Last year we were contacted by Prof. Afaf Amine from Mohammad V University in Rabat, Morocco, who invited our team to visit and help define a programme of active fault studies around the Atlas mountains.

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Earthquake hazard in Asia: a growing problem

Ruins of the old village of Gisk, eastern Iran. Destroyed in the 1977 Bob Tangol earthquake.

In a new article for the Royal Society of Asian Affairs blog, Richard Walker uses examples largely from Iran to talk through some of the reasons why populations are often focussed in regions of earthquake hazard, and why there is an urgent need to increase resilience.

Earthquake Hazard in Asia: A Growing Problem – The Royal Society for Asian Affairs

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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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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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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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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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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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