Neotectonics of the Altai-Sayan Mountains and reactivation of regional faults controlling seismicity

Abstract

The formation of mountain system and neotectonic structure of the Altai-Sayan region is regarded to be a result of intercontinental deformations, related to a distant effects of tectonic stress from the Indo-Eurasian collision. Within this tectonic model we carried out the joint analysis of the geology, seismicity data and topographic materials enable to assume that the maximum changes in the relief and seismic activity in the northern part of Central Asia mountain belt are confined to the zones of intersections of the Late Paleozoic regional faults. The intersections and junctions of faults should be considered as one of the most important structural factors that increase the fragmentation of the substrate, affect changes in the local stress field and predetermine the localization of large earthquake foci with a magnitude M≥5. Some regularities were revealed, based on the example of helium and travertine manifestations in the junction zone of the Charysh-Terekta and Kurai regional faults, which can be used as precursors of earthquakes.