Between 1885 and 1938, the northern Tien Shan at the border between present Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan experienced a remarkable series of five major earthquakes, exceeding M6.9 and reaching up to M ~ 8 (1885 Belovodskoe M6.9, 1887 Verny M7.3, 1889 Chilik M~8, 1911 Chon Kemin M8, and 1938 Kemino Chu M6.9). Combined, the seismic moments add up to almost moment magnitude 9, which is a significant amount of strain released in roughly 50 years and across an E-W stretch of less than 500 kilometers. Even more intriguing is the fact that the ruptured region is located more than thousand km north of the nearest plate boundary and associated India-Eurasia collision zone. The macroseismic areas of these earthquakes include the present-day capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek (Frunze) and the former capital and still largest city of Kazakhstan, Almaty (earlier names Alma Ata and Verny).
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New papers on paleoseismology in the Tien Shan
2016-05-23 | in Earthquake, Field work -
Mapping the coseismic effects of the Ecuador earthquake(s)
2016-05-22 | in EarthquakeA team of Ecuadorian and French geologists has started to map the coseismic effects of the M7.8 earthquake that hit Ecuador on 16 April, 2016. The quake occurred at a depth of about 20 km and caused more than 600 fatalities, mainly in the area near Muisne. Two strong aftershocks of M6.7 and M6.8 shook the epicentral area on 18 May, among hundreds of smaller shocks that were recorded. The mapping is coordinated by the Instituto Geofísico. First results show earthquake environmental effects like liquefaction, mud venting, and surface cracks. Some impressions from the field work can be found here:
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GSGS Summer School on Dates and Rates of Change in the Quaternary, August 2016, Cologne, Germany
An interesting summer school will be held near Cologne, Germany, from 21-27 August 2016. The GSGS Summer School on Dates and Rates of Change in the Quaternary is devoted to teach all different kinds of Quaternary dating methods such as Ar/Ar, cosmogenic nuclides, luminescence, palaeolimnology, palaeomagnetism, radiocarbon and tephrochronology. It is designed for PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and advanced master’s students in geosciences and will be held in English. Deadline for application is 10 June. The workshop is free for all accepted participants. The summer school is funded through the Institutional Strategy of the University of Cologne and supported by the Geoverbund ABC/J. That’s a great opportunity, make sure to apply before it’s too late!
Thanks to Silke for spreading the news.
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PATA Days program out now!
2016-05-17 | in Crestone 2016, PATA daysDear friends and colleagues,
The 7th PATA Days will start in a few days and the scientific program is out now: Program PATA Days (1.5 MB, PDF). Jim McCalpin just told us that the weather is still somewhat challenging so bring your warm jumper and your waterproofs for the field trips. See you all very soon in Colorado!
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2nd field meeting of the Argentinian Association for Quaternary and Geomorphology
2016-05-09 | in MeetingThe 2nd field meeting of the Argentinian Association for Quaternary and Geomorphology (Reunión de CAMPO de la Asociacion Argentina de Cuaternario y Geomorfología) will be held from 6-8 October, 2016, in San Juan. The conference covers all aspects of Quaternary and geomorphological research, including neotectonics, paleoseismology, natural hazards, and tectonic geomorphology. Check the Facebook page for more information or download the 3rd circular here (pdf). The registration form is available here (doc). All inquiries should be directed to reuniongeomorfologiasanjuan@gmail.com.
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New papers on paleoseismology, tsunami, and active tectonics (May 2016)
2016-05-08 | in PaperToday’s paper round-up covers a very wide spectrum of earthquake related studies. We have work on tsunamis, turbidites, and lake paleoseismology, paleoseismological data from Asia, Archaeoseismology, mud volcanoes, the ESI-2007 scale, and an explanation on what the rise of the Andes is driven by. Enjoy reading!
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Guest blog by Ricardo Serrano: mapalomalia – a fully web based geological modeling platform
2016-05-03 | in Software and ApplicationsI have released mapalomalia, (which may or might not mean model of the Earth), the first fully web based geological modeling platform. I hope it can serve the community of geologists to build models that can help us understand our planet and face the ever-increasing challenges that humanity faces.
I’m Ricardo Serrano, you can reach me @rserrano0 on Twitter or via rserrano@mapalomalia.com. This is the first time I announce this in a well-recognized Blog and I thank Christoph Gruetzner for the opportunity. But let’s move forward to what you were waiting for. What can I do today with mapalomalia? more