Tectonic and gravity-induced deformation along the active Talas–Fergana Fault, Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan

Tibaldi, Alessandro; Corazzato, C.; Rust, Derek; Bonali, Fabio Luca; Mariotto, Federico Pasquaré; Корженков, А. М.; Oppizzi, Paolo; Bonzanigo, Luca

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2015.06.020

Cited by 25 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 57 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Buried paleosoils dated by radiocarbon are interpreted as recording an earthquake at ~1,000 B.P. Moreover, our paleoseismic result is consistent with interpretations of a trench excavated across the Sary segment, close to the Toktogul reservoir (Tibaldi et al, ). There, log interpretations show one primary surface rupture over the past 2,617 ± 430 years.…”

Section: Discussion: Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Rate of Slip From Multiple Quaternary Dating Methods and Paleoseismic Investigations Along the Talas‐Fergana Fault: Tectonic Implications for the Tien Shan Range

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ~400‐km‐long Talas‐Fergana Fault is one of a series of major right‐lateral strike‐slip faults that cross the Tien Shan Range. This fault has been recognized as active in the late Holocene and accommodates part of the deformation induced by the ongoing Indo‐Asian collision. The kinematics and the role of this strike‐slip fault are poorly understood with no large earthquakes reported in the instrumental or historical catalogs, and no well‐constrained geological slip‐rate estimates. Here we used high‐resolution satellite imagery to present a first detailed analysis of the fault segmentation. We identified nine geometric segments based on strike variations for the Talas‐Fergana Fault. Along the Kyldau segment, through morphological analyses of an offset alluvial fan and the application of multiple dating methods (10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, luminescence, and radiocarbon), we calculated a late Quaternary slip rate ranging from 2.2 to 6.3 mm/year. This rate is higher than the geodetic measurements, but the discrepancy can be partly explained if the Talas‐Fergana Fault accommodates shortening by counterclockwise rotation around a vertical axis. Paleoearthquakes identified by trenching indicate that at least two primary surface ruptures (and possibly a third) occurred in the past 3,800 years, and that no large earthquake has ruptured the Kyldau segment since at least 420 years B.P. (possibly within the last 2,700 years), making this fault segment a potential candidate to generate an earthquake with M > 7 in the near future.

show abstract

Section: Discussion: Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Some fault segments of the TFF have been extensively studied (Burtman et al, 1996;Rust et al, 2018;Tibaldi et al, 2015). These include paleoseismic investigations along the TFF, focusing on morphological analysis of offset streams and ridges.…”

Section: Previous Paleoseismic Investigations Along the Tffmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rate of Slip From Multiple Quaternary Dating Methods and Paleoseismic Investigations Along the Talas‐Fergana Fault: Tectonic Implications for the Tien Shan Range

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The magnitude of the 16 century event was at least 7.0 and the associated seismic intensity was IX. Near the southern coast of Toktogul lake, a number of offset alluvial fans of different ages indicates that repeated coseismic fault displacement occurred in Holocene times (Tibaldi et al, 2015). A trench which was opened across this fault segment provides evidence of the latest, major pre-historic earthquake that hit after 2617 ± 430 yr ago, with moment magnitude reaching 6.9.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…6). The ~700 km length of the fault is characterised by the typical features associated with paleoseismic deformation, including scarps, offset streams and drainage divides, as well as landslides (Burtman et al, 1987(Burtman et al, , 1996Trifonov et al, 1992Trifonov et al, , 2015Korjenkov et al, 2010Korjenkov et al, , 2012Korjenkov et al, , 2013Korzhenkov et al, 2014;Tibaldi et al, 2015;Rust et al, 2018). Nevertheless, modern seismic networks reveal only small and rare moderate seismicity along the fault zone, whereas GPS measurements do not provide any evidence of active deformation along the Talas-Fergana Fault, suggesting it is presently locked.…”

Section: Geohazard Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

NATO and earth scientists: an ongoing collaboration to assess geohazards and contribute to societal security in Central Asia and the Caucasus

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Geological features and hazards have no geographical and political boundaries. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been funding several international Earth Science research projects in Central Asia and the Caucasus over the last ten years. The projects are aimed at improving the security of people and the safety of infrastructures, and fostering peaceful scientific collaboration between scientists from NATO and non-NATO countries. In the present work, we show how Earth Science can contribute to improving scientific collaboration also among countries that are politically in tension, and how it can also play a key role in preventing situations that may escalate into conflicts. This paper showcases the main results, partially unpublished, of three different research projects that have been aimed at assessing, through an interdisciplinary approach, different geohazards affecting important infrastructure and lifelines of a number of countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus. For each region, we also describe the societal relevance of the research, considering possible geopolitical issues that might be brought about by natural disasters. The research efforts have focused on geohazards threatening: i) the Enguri hydropower plant, located partly in the Republic of Georgia and partly in the disputed territory of Abkhazia, ii) the Toktogul water reservoir, in Kyrgyzstan, and iii) the Caspian oil and gas pipelines crossing the Republic of Georgia.

show abstract

“…Under this structural architecture, and taking into account the seismic activity of the western Caucasus (Tsereteli et al, 2016), an earthquake with the consequent ground acceleration, cannot be ruled out as a possible trigger for one of the two landslides or for both. Landslides aligned along active faults and triggered by seismic activity have been observed frequently elsewhere (e.g., Tibaldi et al, 1995Tibaldi et al, , 2015. The available seismic catalogue in the area goes back to the Tsaishi earthquake that occurred in 1614 CE (Tibaldi et al, 2017b), and thus does not allow to establish a possible direct relationship, also in view of the fact that the exact age of inception of these landslides is unknown.…”

Section: Possible Origin Of Slope Deformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landslides near Enguri dam (Caucasus, Georgia) and possible seismotectonic effects

Tibaldi

Oppizzi²,

Gierke

et al. 2019

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The Enguri dam and water reservoir, nested in the southwestern Caucasus (Republic of Georgia), are surrounded by steep mountain slopes. At a distance of 2.5 km from the dam, a mountain ridge along the reservoir is affected by active deformations with a double vergence. The western slope, directly facing the reservoir, has deformations that affect a subaerial area of 1.2 km2. The head scarp affects the Jvari–Khaishi–Mestia main road with offsets of man-made features that indicate slip rates of 2–9 cm yr−1. Static, pseudostatic and Newmark analyses, based on field and seismological data, suggest different unstable rock volumes based on the environmental conditions. An important effect of variation of the water table is shown, as well as the possible destabilization of the slope following seismic shaking, compatible with the expected local peak ground acceleration. This worst-case scenario corresponds to an unstable volume on the order of up to 48±12×106 m3. The opposite, eastern slope of the same mountain ridge is also affected by wide deformation affecting an area of 0.37 km2. Here, field data indicate 2–5 cm yr−1 of slip rates. All this evidence is interpreted as resulting from two similar landslides, whose possible causes are discussed, comprising seismic triggering, mountain rapid uplift, river erosion and lake variations.

show abstract

Tectonic and gravity-induced deformation along the active Talas–Fergana Fault, Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan

Cited by 25 publications

References 57 publications

Rate of Slip From Multiple Quaternary Dating Methods and Paleoseismic Investigations Along the Talas‐Fergana Fault: Tectonic Implications for the Tien Shan Range

Rate of Slip From Multiple Quaternary Dating Methods and Paleoseismic Investigations Along the Talas‐Fergana Fault: Tectonic Implications for the Tien Shan Range

NATO and earth scientists: an ongoing collaboration to assess geohazards and contribute to societal security in Central Asia and the Caucasus

Landslides near Enguri dam (Caucasus, Georgia) and possible seismotectonic effects

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About