Active Tectonics and Seismic Hazard of the Issyk-Kul Basin in the Kyrgyz Tian-Shan

Abstract

The Issyk-Kul basin is a large intramountain depression located in the northeastern part of the Kyrgyz Tian-Shan (Fig. 1). It is bordered on both northern and southern sides by E-W trending mountain ranges rising up to 5000 meters in altitude (Fig. 2). During last 100 years, these two ranges were subjected to an unusual series of major earthquakes, some of them raking among the strongest ever felt in continental areas (Table 1; Fig. 3).