From 10 to 20 November 2025, the National Nuclear Centre of the Republic of Kazakhstan of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Atomic Energy (RSE NCC RK) together with the Department of Earth Sciences of the University of Oxford held an international scientific and practical workshop “Seismogeology and Hazards Associated with Active Faults”. The event was dedicated to the study of the geology of earthquakes and active faults in the epicenter zone of the devastating 1889 Chilik earthquake (M=8.3) in the vicinity of the Saty village, Kegen district, Almaty region.

The worshop was organized as part of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) program on seismic hazard assessment in Central Asia and with the support of the UK COMET scientific initiative. The workshop was attended by representatives of scientific organizations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Armenia, Italy, Chile, the United Kingdom, Poland and Greece, engaged in fundamental and applied research in the field of seismology.

The following representatives of the NNC RK attended the workshop: U.A. Igibaev, Scientific Secretary of the IGR NNC RK; I.O. Marchenko, Head of the Hydrogeological Research Group; A.S. Mukambaev, Deputy Director of the CAPSSI IGR RSE NNC RK; A.N. Uzbekov, Senior Researcher of the Analysis and Research Group of the CAPSSI IGR RSE NNC RK.

The workshop included lectures and practical classes. Participants were trained to use unmanned aerial vehicles for aerial photography and the construction of digital terrain models using GNSS (DGPS) technologies. They attended lectures by Professor R. Walker (University of Oxford, England), Professors F. Sinti and S. Pucci (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Italy), and Professor R. Arrowsmith (Arizona State University, USA) on large earthquakes, paleoseismological studies, dating methods, etc.

Field lectures were held at the Saty fault, as well as in areas of historical and relatively new landslides formed as a result of earthquakes.

The knowledge and skills gained will enable specialists to investigate active faults, which is particularly important for assessing the seismic hazard of territories.

Workshop participants

– Lecture by Prof. R. Walker

Lecture by Prof. Sinti, and presentation of the book named “THE SCIENCE AND ART OF PALEOSEISMOLOGY”

Trench digging at Saty fault

Paleoseismological trench at Saty fault

Training and launch of UAV

Field lecture by Prof. R.Walker at Kayindy Lake

IGR NNC RK staff