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KR-2444

Seismic hazard assessment of the International Transport Corridors of the Central Asian countries

Project Status: 3 Approved without Funding
Duration in months: 36 months

Objective

The Project aims. The project is designed for assessment of the seismic hazard of the international Trans-Tienshan Transport Corridors of Central Asian countries, within three countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, in order to ensure the safety of their operation.

Current state of the research. The International Trans-Tienshan transport corridors (ITTC), passing through the territories of Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, are vulnerable to modern dangerous geological phenomena, among which earthquakes play a special role. The ITTCs pass through zones with high seismicity (6-9 points on the scale of MSC). There is currently no research has been done to assess the seismic hazard of ITTCs, there are no maps of seismic hazard and the dangerous geological phenomena caused by them.

The project’s impact on the progress in this area. As a result of the Project implementation, the seismic hazard of the areas of ITTC passage and their vulnerability to earthquakes and associated dangerous geological phenomena will be detailed and reliably estimated for the first time. A real assessment of the seismic hazard of the ITTC will lead us to the development of common models of vulnerability of the territories and objects to earthquakes.

The participants’ expertise. All scientists involved in the Project are well-known scientists of the Central Asian countries, they have sufficient qualifications, experience in the field of vulnerability assessment of territories and structures to dangerous geological phenomena, especially earthquakes, which is confirmed by a number of publications and speeches at international scientific symposiums and conferences. Skills and experience of the project participants are unique and recognized by the international scientific community. The leading scientists involved in this Project have previously participated in ISTC projects.

Expected results and their application. With the successful implementation of the project we are planning, the seismic hazard of the ITTC zones will be assessed for the first time; seismic maps will be drawn up, which will allow developing measures to reduce seismic risk and vulnerability of the ITTC zones to earthquakes and associated dangerous geological phenomena.

Meeting the ISTC goals and objectives. Since the project also involves “weapons” scientists and is exclusively peaceful it is fully in line with the goals of the ISTC. Commitment to the peaceful goals of the ISTC mission is ensured by attracting scientists from the organizations of the Central Asian countries to the world scientific community by providing information on the Project at international forums (conferences, seminars, meetings, etc.).

Scope of activities. The project is expected to comprise the following amount of research:

- Literature review on geology, neotectonics, engineering geology, hydrogeology, seismotectonics, seismology of the territories with the passage of ITTC;
- Field geological and seismic surveys in the territories.
- Processing of field data;
- Compilation of a database on earthquakes and associated dangerous geological phenomena;
- Compilation of thematic maps of the territories;
- Compiling maps of seismicity and seismic vulnerability of territories;
- Digitization of maps and other graphical materials on neotectonics, engineering geology, hydrogeology, seismotectonics and seismicity of territories;
- Compilation of the Atlas of seismic vulnerability and hazard of ITTC;
- Approbation and presentation of the Project results to the international scientific community.

Technical approach and methodology. The novelty of this project is the investigation of the problems of seismic hazard of the Central Asian (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) international transport corridors (ITC) for the first time. The seismic hazard assessment of the ITC zones will be carried out by:


- Detailed study of geological and engineering-geological features of the territories;
- Identification of active faults, including seismogenic, assessing the dynamics of their development;
- Establishing the scale and intensity of the development of modern hazardous geological processes;
- Landslide and mudflow hazard assessdment;
- Analysis of the seismicity of the territory in the historical context, revealing the general trends of its development;
- Mapping active faults, neotectonics, dangerous geological phenomena, seismotectonics, seismic hazard and seismic vulnerability.

Participating Institutions

LEADING

Limited liability company Institute of Seismology

PARTICIPATING

Institute of Geography

PARTICIPATING

Institute of Geology (IG)

COLLABORATOR

Independent non-commercial research organization NORSAR