Two twentieth-centuryMLH= 7.5 earthquakes recorded in annually laminated lake sediments from Sary Chelek, western Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan

A groundbreaking study reveals that lake sediments from Sary Chelek, Kyrgyzstan, contain precise records of two significant earthquakes (M_LH=7.5) that struck western Tian Shan in 1946 and 1992. These findings were derived from analyzing annually laminated deposits, which exhibited distorted varves and large-scale turbidites—structures indicative of seismic activity. Radiometric dating confirmed the timing of these events, aligning with historical records. This discovery underscores Sary Chelek's potential as a long-term paleoseismic archive, offering valuable insights for assessing regional earthquake hazards in Central Asia.

Lauterbach, S., Mingram, J., Schettler, G., & Orunbaev, S. (2019). Two twentieth-centuryM_LH= 7.5 earthquakes recorded in annually laminated lake sediments from Sary Chelek, western Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan. Quaternary Research, 92(2), 288–303. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2019.21