Regime of Strong Holocene Earthquakes of the Kultor Fault Zone in the Northern Issyk-Kul Lake Region (Tien Shan) According to Radiocarbon Dating Data

Abstract

Morphostructures of the northern slope of the Kungey Ala-Too Range and its southern foothills (adyrs) were studied with use of tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismology methods. Radioisotope (radiocarbon and luminescence) dating data analysis in dug trenches demonstrates the lateral migration of the strong seismic activity along the Kultor Fault zone (northern Issyk-Kul Lake region). It was confirmed that the strong recent seismic activity is concentrated in the adyr zone and located along adyr faults. At least 7 morphogenic earthquakes occurred along the fault zone during Holocene. During common era the reoccurrence of morphogenic earthquakes was 200‒300 years. The strongest seismic catastrophes with М ~ 7.5 (Io = Х) have been apparently occurred in VII and XV centuries along the disjunctive. During this event the seismic sources reached the surface forming the fault scarps with lengths up to 70‒80 km.