On traces of a strong earthquake in walls of the Sary-Bulun medieval sites along the great silk route (western Issyk-Kul Lake region, Northern Tien Shan)

A strong earthquake, likely of intensity I ≥ VIII on the MSK-64 scale, struck the Sary-Bulun medieval sites along the Great Silk Route around the end of the 12th to the beginning of the 13th century AD. This seismic event caused significant structural damage, including wall tilts, shifts, collapses, lateral bends, and long fissures in corner parts of rooms. The source of the earthquake was probably located in faults cutting the active Boz-Barmak anticline, where the settlements were situated on its western limb. These sites, among the largest metallurgic centers of the Issyk-Kul depression during the medieval period, provide valuable insights into industrial processes and seismic activity in the region.

Korzhenkov, A. M., Luzhanskii, D. V., Abdieva, S. V., Deev, E. V., Pavlis, T. L., Rogozhin, E. A., Turova, I. V., & Yudakhin, A. S. (2017). On traces of a strong earthquake in walls of the Sary-Bulun medieval sites along the great silk route (western Issyk-Kul Lake region, Northern Tien Shan). Seismic Instruments, 53(4), 309–322. https://doi.org/10.3103/s0747923917040077