The Tien Shan Active Fault Database

The Tien Shan Active Fault Database is a multi-functional peer-reviewed digital collection of active faults which integrates decades of mapping and field studies in Central Asia by researchers from the UK Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (COMET) alongside global collaborators.

Please see the associated publication [currently in review 15/02/2024] for further details regarding the database conception, collation, and structure. 

The database compiles active fault traces and metadata at three different scales to serve a variety of purposes that fault databases are conventionally used for: the finest scale for site-specific study reference, an intermediate scale for regional kinematics and seismotectonics, and a coarse scale from which structures may be extracted for geodetic modelling and seismic source models:

Level 1: Fine-scale mapping of scarps and ruptures (approximately 1:10k scale)

This level includes scarps and vertical/lateral geomorphic offsets mapped from field work, low-altitude imagery/DEMs, or high-resolution satellite or air-photo imagery/DEMs. These represent both historic and pre-historic earthquake ruptures (and potentially secondary features, e.g. Sackungen) that are preserved in the landscape.

Level 2: Active fault traces recognized geomorphically at a regional scale (approximately 1:50k scale)

This level contains representations of through-going faults that may be considered the major structural entities responsible for large-scale deformation of the landscape. These are identified in the landscape through remote-sensing, field mapping, and/or historically documented earthquake ruptures. Gaps and steps in original mapping where they may relate to geometric complexities in faulting are retained, but apparent breaks related to sedimentation or erosion are joined (e.g. across rivers). All lines associated with clear geomorphic indicators of active faulting are retained, regardless of length (e.g. lines <1km are retained). These lines may be based on detailed scarp mapping, but are represented at a coarser scale that may be more practical for regional and structural mapping as well as kinematic and geodetic modelling.

Level 3: ‘Seismic source’ faults

This level is a derivative product of Level 2 produced through expert consultation, to represent the major faults that most plausibly represent major stand-alone seismogenic structures. This level is designed to form the basis for regional geodetic strain modelling or ultimately source-based seismic hazard analyses. Gaps, steps, and discontinuities in lines are either joined or retained based on considerations of distance, scale, and structural coherence. Only major structures that based on dimensions could feasibly host an earthquake of Mw > 6.0-6.5 are included. The database is a work-in-progress and we expect future releases to include metadata including fault geometries and rates of motion.

An interactive map of this database is acccessible via the COMET website

This database is also available via GitHub

The Tien Shan Fault Database is available in multiple geospatial data formats for use across multiple GIS platforms. All data formats are produced using coordinate reference system WGS 84 (EPSG: 4326). The data formats provided include: 

• Geopackage (.gpkg) a non-proprietary GIS data format. The database is packaged as a single geopackage containing three vector layers corresponding to each of the database levels.
• ESRI Shapefile (.shp), a common vector file type used across GIS programs. The database is packaged as three shapefiles corresponding to each of the database levels.
• Zipped Keyhole Markup Language (.kmz) which is a zipped version of multiple .kml files, commonly used in Google Earth Pro. The database is packaged as a single kmz file containing three kml files corresponding to each of the database levels.