Aseismic Slip on the Ilyak Strike‐Slip Fault (Tajikistan) and Active Fault and Landslide Hazards in and Around the Tajik Basin Revealed by InSAR

Journal article

Plain Language Summary: Tajikistan is prone to earthquakes and landsliding, both within the mountainous regions and in surrounding valleys, such as the wide basin in which the capital city of Dushanbe is situated. The major Ilyak active fault is mapped within this basin, and yet relatively few large earthquakes have been recorded in the area. We use satellite radar interferometry to image ground deformation in the region around Dushanbe. We show that the Ilyak fault is actually creeping at the surface, and so not storing up slip to be released in occasional earthquakes. This creep behavior is likely caused by the weak sedimentary rocks through which the fault runs. However, earthquakes that have occurred at depth beneath the creeping part of the fault and other potentially active faults in the vicinity both indicate ongoing earthquake hazard. Our surface rate maps also highlight widespread down‐slope ground movement in slow landslides, offering a means of identifying and monitoring these hazards.

Authors: Wilkinson, R; Daout, S; Walker, RT; Dodds, N; Ischuk, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Tectonics
• Volume: 44
• Issue: 12
• Article number: e2025TC008860
• Publication date: 2025-12-02
• Acceptance date: 2025-11-18
• DOI: 10.1029/2025tc008860
• EISSN: 1944-9194
• ISSN: 0278-7407
• Language: English
• Keywords: InSAR; aseismic; active fault; strike‐slip; Tajikistan; Pamir