Tien Shan

While the Tien Shan are a compressive orogen, many of the most active faults in the belt appear to be kinematically strike slip. Strike slip faults are inherently difficult to observe in the landscape, as they do not produce relief in the same way that other types of faults do. Their existence within mountain belts challenges standard models of compressive orogen development. This project addresses the role that these faults play in the accommodation of tectonic stresses and the hazards that these faults pose to developing nations throughout the Tien Shan. I am part of a collaborative project of UK, US, French, and German researchers working to train and equip early career Kyrgyz and Kazakh researchers to study earthquakes and tectonics using UAVs and modern geochronologic methods.