Archeoseismological Investigation of the Kurmenty Medieval...

ISSN 0747�9239, Seismic Instruments, 2016, Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 154–163. © Allerton Press, Inc., 2016.Original Russian Text © A.M. Korzhenkov, V.A. Kol’chenko, D.V. Luzhanskiy, E.A. Rogozhin, M. Kazmer, J.V. Mazeika, E.V. Deev, A.B. Fortuna, J. Shen, A.S. Yudakhin,S.V. Abdieva, S.N. Rodina, 2015, published in Voprosy Inzhenernoi Seismologii, 2015, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 70–81.

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GEOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF THE REGION AND THE STUDY AREA

Kyrgyzstan occupies the northwestern part of TienShan orogen that formed as a result of a collisionbetween the Eurasian and Indian lithospheric plates.The location of Tien Shan in the northern front of theHimalayan mountain belt explains its high tectonicand seismic activity, and the considerable contrast inelevation (Fig. 1). We have investigated the Kurmentymedieval settlement site, which is located in thenortheastern Issyk�Kul Depression.

The main structural units in the studied region arethe latitudinally trending East Kungei anticline, whichis a part of the Kungei–Trans�Ili megaanticline zone,and the Issyk�Kul megasyncline. The East Kungeianticline is characteristic of clear structural asymme�try. Its southern slope is relatively gentle, with the pre�served fragments of pre�orogenic peneplain, whereasthe northern one is steep and short and terminated byfaults; the peneplain is largely not preserved here.

The Fore�Kungei Foredeep extends along thesouthern base of the Kungei Range; it is limited by theTasma and Taldysu faults in the south and north,

Archeoseismological Investigation of the Kurmenty Medieval Settlement Site, Northeastern Issyk�Kul Region, KyrgyzstanA. M. Korzhenkova, c, V. A. Kol’chenkob, D. V. Luzhanskiyc, E. A. Rogozhina, M. Kazmerd,

J. V. Mazeikae, E. V. Deevf, g, A. B. Fortunah, J. Sheni, A. S. Yudakhinc, S. V. Abdievac, and S. N. Rodinaa

aSchmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Bol’shaya Gruzinskaya 10, str. 1, Moscow, 123885 Russia

e�mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] of History and Cultural Heritage, National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyz Republic,

prosp. Chui 265a, Bishkek, 720000 Kyrgyzstane�mail: [email protected]

cYeltsin Kyrgyz�Russian Slavic University, prosp. Chui 36, str. 60, Bishkek, 720000 Kyrgyzstane�mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

dEötvös University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, H�1117 Hungarye�mail: [email protected]

eState Research Institute Center of Natural Studies, Akademijos st. 2, Vilnius, LT�08412 Lithuaniae�mail: [email protected]

fTrofimuk Institute of Oil and Gas Geology and Geophysics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences,prosp. Akademika Koptyuga 3, Novosibirsk, 630090 Russia

e�mail: [email protected] State University, Novosibirsk, Russia

hInstitute of Seismology, National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgys Republic, mkrn Asanbai 21, str. 1, Bishkek, 720060 Kyrgyzstan

e�mail: alla�[email protected] of Disaster Prevention, Beijing, China

e�mail: [email protected]

Abstract—Archeoseismological studies of the Kurmenty settlement have proved the seismogenic origin ofthe deformation in the walls at this site. The radiocarbon age of the first seismic event damaged the walls ofthe settlement is 7th century AD. The second seismic event occurred a few centuries later, probably in the lateMiddle Ages. The strongest seismic events of North Tien Shan occurred in the late 19th–early 20th centuryas the Chilik (1889, M = 8.4) and Kebin (1911, M = 7.9) also damaged the walls of the Kurmenty settlement.The local shaking intensity during these seismic events was I ≥ VII on MSK�64 scale.

Keywords: archeoseismology, Kurmenty settlement, Silk Road, Turkic peoples, Middle Ages, seismic defor�mations, radiocarbon age, Issyk�Kul depression, Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan

DOI: 10.3103/S0747923916020055

SEISMIC INSTRUMENTS Vol. 52 No. 2 2016

ARCHEOSEISMOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION 155

respectively (Geologicheskie osnovy…, 1978; Chediya,1986). The foredeep occupies the northern part of theIssyk�Kul megasyncline. The eastern part of the fore�deep (including the Kurmenty area) is identified as theTyup block that extends from the Trans�Issyk�KulFault to the eastern limit of the Issyk�Kul region. Theblock is characterized by deep occurrence of the base�ment (from 1000 m in west up to 2000 m in east) andmonoclinal southward dip of the basement with thePaleogene–Neogene cover that conformably overliesthe basement.

In the Kurmenty, Paleozoic and Quaternary rocksare widespread (Fig. 2). The former are predominantlyrepresented by Ordovician intrusions that composelarge massifs and by small outcrops of Namurian(Lower Carboniferous) sedimentary deposits with fau�nistic remains. The borehole drilled north of Frunzevillage recovered the Paleogene and Neogene depositsof the total thickness of 1500 m (Table 1).

The Quaternary deposits are widespread; they fillthe Issyk�Kul depression and river valleys and coverthe slopes with bedrock erosion products. Genetictypes of these deposits are colluvial, deluvial�prolu�vial, alluvial, and lacustrine. In terms of lithology, theyare represented by bounder�pebble deposits, sands,

sandy loams, and clay loams. With regard to age, theQuaternary deposits are Upper Quaternary andrecent.

The fault lines in the Kurmenty area are orientedmainly in two directions: those of less size are NE�trending and the larger Taldysu marginal fault (whichdivides the East Kungei anticline and the Issyk�Kuldepression; relative displacement of its walls is from1 to 2.5 km) is latitudinally trending (Detal’noe…,1988). In the outcrops, where the fault plane can beobserved, it looks like a steep reverse fault with thenorthern hanging wall).

The Kurmenty (West Taldysu, after (Detal’noe…,1988) seismodislocation area of up to 20 km in totallength is located on the Taldysu Fault (Geologicheskieosnovy…, 1978; Detal’noe…, 1988). Dislocations referto seismorupture and seismogravitational genetictypes are represented by seismic ditches, NE�trendingescarpments, and detachments in loose deposits, witha vertical wall extent of up to 50 m (traces of the1911 Kebin earthquake). This fault also hosts four epi�centers of earthquakes with hypocentral depths of 16–25 km, with K = 13–16, and M = 4.9–7.4(Detal’noe…, 1988).

1 2 3

45°

40°

E75°70°

N

80°

Altitude, m

MagnitudeKAZAKHSTAN PLATFORM

DZHUNGAR RANGE

ISSYK�KUL

TARIM PLATFORM

P A M I R

DEPRESSION

TI

EN

SH

AN

<250

1250

2250

3250

4250

5250

5.0–5.9

6.0–6.9

>7.0

Fig. 1. Relief of Tien Shan and the adjacent territory. (1) Major routes of the Silk Road; (2) epicenters of strong (M ≥ 5) knownearthquakes; (3) location of the Kurmenty settlement.

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KORZHENKOV et al.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Kuturga

Frunze

Belovodsk

Kurmenty

Sarybulak

Lugovoe

Shaty

Tyup

Lake Issyk�Kul

Tyup BayTyup

1608 m

Fig. 2. Schematic geological map of the Kurmenty settlement area, modified and added after (Geologicheskaya karta…, 1962).(1) Pre�Mesozoic rocks; (2) Late Pleistocene to Holocene alluvial�proluvial deposits; (3) Late Pleistocene to Holocene lacus�trine deposits; (4) Holocene alluvial deposits; (5) lake water area; (6) faults covered by alluvial�proluvial deposits; (7) river chan�nel; (8) automobile road; (9) settlements; (10) location of the Kurmenty settlement.

The modern relief of the Kurmenty area was gener�ally formed during the third (most intensive) stage ofthe recent orogenesis (Middle Pleistocene–Holocene), when the bounder�pebble series of theIssyk�Kul region accumulated. Narrow V�shaped val�leys formed in mountains in this period; these valleyshave up to two to three erosional or rock�defended ter�races, which correlate to the middle and lower adyr(dissection) steps of the lower–middle Quaternary.Below, in an overdeepened valley, two to three sculp�tural or accumulative Late Quaternary terraces arelocated; they are coupled with alluvial�proluvial orlacustrine�deltaic plains. This terrace complex has upto three (including the first and second flood plains)Holocene terraces.

ARCHEOSEISMOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE SETTLEMENT SITE

The site of Kurmenty settlement (Fig. 3) is locatedin the Tyup district of Issyk�Kul oblast, in the area ofAk�Bulak (Kurmenty) village, which belongs to theAk�Bulun ail district. It is founded on the shore of abackwater (so called Shirokaya Bight) in the northerncoast of the Tyup Bay. Geographic coordinates of the

site are 42°46′00″ N and 78°14′16″ E; altitude is1629 m above sea level.

The technique of similar archeoseismologicalinvestigations was used by one of the authors duringhis works at archeological sites in Israel (see (Korjen�kov and Mazor, 1998) and others), Kazakhstan (see(Korjenkov et al., 2003) and others), Jordan (see(Korjenkov and Schmidt, 2009) and others), Ger�many (see (Korjenkov et al., 2008) and others), andKyrgyzstan (see (Korjenkov et al., 2012) and others).Detailed descriptions of the technique were repeatedlyprovided in these works and therefore will not be givenhere.

The Kurmenty settlement were investigated for thefirst time in 1894 by V. V. Bartol’d, who noticed that“the area of the fortress is covered by multiple smallelevated sites, which are probably the remains of somebuildings” (Bartol’d, 1897). The settlement site wasbriefly mentioned in the works by A.N. Bernshtam(Trudy…, 1950) and P.P. Ivanov (1957). In 1949the Tien Shan archeological expedition lead byA.N. Bernshtam carried out prospecting works at thesettlement site, however, no results were published.Since 1959, D.F. Vinnik began to investigate archeo�logical sites of the Issuk�Kul region. In the early 1960s,he described the Kurmenty settlement. He made sev�



Table 1. Section of 1�k borehole drilled hear Frunze village (Kurmenty area), compiled after (Geologicheskaya karta…, 1962)with modifications and additions

Erathem Ssystem Series Formation Thickness, m Lithologic section Lithologic composition

Cen

ozoi

c

Q Q1

Sh

arpy

ldak

40Boulder�pebble deposits interbedding with grit�stones

Neo

gen

e

Pli

ocen

e

Ch

u

1170

Interbedding pattums (sandy�silty rocks),sandstones, clay loams, and brownish gray clays

Mio

cen

e

Sh

amsi

n

291Interbedding pattums, sandstones, and fulvous brown clays

P P3

eral prospecting pits, defined the time range of settle�ment existence (since 8th until 12th century), andsupposed two stages in the settlement existence (Vin�nik, 1967; Discoveries…, 1975). In 2003, the settle�ment was investigated by the Yeltsyn Kyrgyz�RussianSlavic University expedition leaded by V.M. Ploskikh;during these works, the stratigraphic pit was dug (Ak�Bulun…, 2006).

The choice of the Kurmenty settlement as anobject for our archeoseismological investigations wascaused by the settlement location in the seismoactiveregion. Intensive seismic activity is indicated by both

present�day publications and the 19th century reportsby Russian explorers and officials worked in thisregion. For example, the document of December 28(old style), 1910 entitled “Report of the TemporaryHead of Przheval’sk uezd, Captain Gusev, to the Mil�itary Governor of the Semirechensk oblast,M.A. Fol’baum, on the Earthquake in NorthernIssyk�Kul Region and Its Aftermath.”

The Kurmenty settlement is of WNW�elongatedrectangle in shape (Fig. 4) with lengths of fortress wallsof 240 × 215 × 310 × 200 m. The site is located on asmall hill to utilize the natural elevation for fortifica�

158


KORZHENKOV et al.

Shi

roka

ya B

ight

Frunze

Kurmenty Sarybulak

Lugovoe

Tyup

Kurmenty sett.

0 2 km

Fig. 3. Topographic map of the Kurmenty settlement area.

Sw

ampe

d ba

y of

Lak

e Is

syk�

Kul

Irrig. ditchArcheol. pit

N

SIrrig. ditch

0 40 80 120 m

Fig. 4. Scheme of the Kurmenty settlement, modified and supplemented after (Ak�Bulun…, 2006).



tion purposes. Its northwestern wall runs over the high,steep shore of a backwater and seems to merge with it.Along the southwestern wall, until its middle part, adeep sai (dry hollow) is located. The hollow is contin�ued by a wide ditch that runs along the southwesternand, partially, northeastern wall, and then turns to adeep sai. On the western and eastern sides, depth ofdry hollow is about 20 m.

The settlement had four entrances in the middleparts of northeastern and southeastern walls rein�forced by special fortification structures. The innerarea of the settlement is damaged by the recent multi�annual ploughing, but particular small hills and hol�lows that correspond to ancient buildings can still beseen. The fortress walls are highly crept; their width atthe base is up to 20 m, preserved height is 2.5–3 m.The southwestern wall is cut by two ditches, one ofwhich is nearly in the middle, while the other islocated at a distance of 60 m from the southern cornerof the settlement. Any publications about the archeo�logical sections of this site are unknown to the authors,but they might have been made by either archeologistD.F. Vinnik or local inhabitants. A sketch of thesettlement site made during the expedition by

A.N. Bernshtam in 1949 contains no sections(Trudy…, 1950).

In 2004, during the field works of the Yeltsyn Kyr�gyz�Russian Slavic University (led by S.M. Gromova),the section in the middle part of the wall was renewed,and a stratigraphic pit was dug within the settlementarea (Ak�Bulun…, 2006). In order to minimize thepossible damage to the site and labor, we decided toclean this section and perform a detailed recording.

By the moment of our field works, the ditch of thissection was crept at its southeastern side (with theincut of 3–4 m at its outer side) and its northwesternsite had a step�wise shape. The width of the section(ditch) is 2–2.5 m in the upper part and about 1 m inthe lower one; the length is about 12 m. After cleaning,the height of this section was 2.6 m from the highestpoint (Fig. 5); the section had not reached the wallbase or bedrocks.

It was found that the wall consists of two massifs(i.e., was built in two stages or period), and the samemasonry technique was used in both cases; it was so�called rammed clay, when relatively horizontal soillayers of 15–30 cm thick are sequentially laid oneupon another.

Initial wall (wall 1)

Built on wall (wall 2)

Rec

ent

cree

p

of

the

sou

ther

n f

ace

of

the

buil

t o

n w

all

N S

0 1 m1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Fig. 5. Southeastern wall of the archeological pit crossing the southwestern wall of the Kurmenty settlement (image and draw�ings). (1) Vegetable layer; (2) layers of creeps; (3) gray�colored rammed clay layers (wall 1); (4) rammed clay layers (wall 1);(5) rammed clay layers (wall 2); (6) shrew holes; (7) paleosoil (loose clay beds); (8) cavity between walls 1 and 2; (9) radiocarbondating point.

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KORZHENKOV et al.

The earlier part of the wall (wall 1, or initial wall)was exposed along the distance of 1.9 m (length fromthe upper point to the ditch bottom). Its width is 2.4 min the lower part and about 1.5 m in the upper one. Tiltof the outer face is 80°–85°. The inner face (exposedto the height of about 1 m) is highly crept due to thelong�tern exposure to exogenous processes. The wall iscomposed of alternating thicker yellowish�brown lay�ers and thinner whitish�gray layers. In total, there are20 rammed clay layers that are 10–30 cm thick, whilethe lower layers are thicker than the upper ones.

Wall 2 (not completely excavated) is built on theinitial wall on its outer side. The width at the bottom ofthe ditch is 1.9 m. This wall is higher than the initialone by up to 3.1 m; in the upper part, it slightly overliesthe initial wall and rises as a rampart with the sitebehind it that is the top part of the remaining initialwall. Contrasts between layers in this wall are lessnoticeable; however, 22 rammed clay layers can beidentified. In wall 2, a cut of up to 1.5 m high andabout 1 m deep and wide is located at the joint betweentwo walls; this is likely an animal hole destroyed by thesection.

Crept wall fragments are nearly homogeneous inthe inner side that are represented by a loess sandedsubstrate, which is highly filled with vegetation roots inthe northwestern part. Crept fragments in the outerside cannot be described because the mentioned cut islocated here and, thus, the vertical profile is absent.

Both walls have several cracks that run almost ver�tically and are parallel to each other from top to bot�tom. One of these cracks runs at a distance of 1 m fromthe inner face of the wall and crosses the wall vertically,dividing it into two parts. Two other cracks run verti�cally in the upper part of the built up wall, reaching themiddle part at 1.3–1.4 m high, and another crack islocated at a distance of 80 cm from the outer face ofthe built up wall and crosses the wall in vertical direc�

tion. This arrangement of these cracks can indicatetheir seismogenic character.

DISCUSSION

We can state there were two periods of building thewalls of the Kurmenty settlement. The initial (old)wall corresponds to when the settlement was built.Then the wall cracked after some event, so that itneeded to be repaired, and the additional (new) wallwas built on.

Vinnik (1967) supposed that the settlement existedduring two periods, 8th–10th and 10th–12th centu�ries, with the peak in the latter period. The collectionsof our archeological expedition in 2004 at this settle�ment site did not contain fragments that could beunambiguously referred to the latter period, but manyobjects were referred to 11th–12th centuries and latertime (13th–14th centuries).

In the cleared archeological section of the wall (seeabove), we collected several samples to define absoluteage of the walls. Unfortunately, the most part of thesamples did not yield a result due to an insufficientamount of organic material. The only sample, whichwas collected in the middle part of the built on wall,provided the absolute date (Table 2). Let us consider itin more detail.

The calibrated age of the sample is 550–690 AD.The sample is represented by embers (the remains offire) collected in the new (southern) part of the wallbetween rammed clay layers 5 and 6. It is known thatthe walls of this settlement were built of the local mate�rials, which were collected in its nearest vicinity fromnatural landslides or artificial hollows. However, inthis case, embers should have been homogeneouslydistributed over volume of the layer, without formationof an isolated interbed between two layers of rammedclay. It can be concluded that ancient builders proba�bly hastened to finish the wall repair, so worked even in

Table 2. Laboratory parameters of the sample collected for absolute age dating in the section of the Kurmenty settlement wall

Labindex

Sampledescription

Sample material

before treat�ment

Extracted benzol, g

14C activ�ity, pMC

14C age, years BP

Measure�ment

error, years (±1s)

Calibrated age*,yeatrs BP (cal. BP)

Vs�2543 KRM�1, collected in 2014, ember between rammed clay layers 5 and 6

Pure carbon 0.3933 84.0 1400 85 68.2probability:

1400–1260 BP (65.4%)**

1200–1180 BP (2.8%)

95.4probability

1530–1170 BP (95.4%)

* Radiocarbon age is defined at the Laboratory for Nuclear Geophysic and Radioecology, State Research Institute “Center of NaturalStudies” (Vilnius, Lithuania). Calibrated age is calculated by OxCal 4.2 software (Bronk, 2013), using IntCal2013 calibrating curve(Reimer et al., 2013).

** The best interval of 68.2% probability (main date).



0 60 km

Ch�K A�S

Verny

Chilik

Kebin Kurmenty sett.

Ch�K

earthquake 1887, Mw = 7.4, I0 = XI–X

earthquake 1889, Mw = 8.4, I0 = X

Ch�K

A�S

earthquake 1991, Mw = 7.9, I0 =X⎯XI

1 2 3

A�S

Ch�K

Ch�K

Fig. 6. The main seismogenerating zones and locations of the epicenters of the strongest earthquakes in North Tien Shan, carto�graphic layer is after (Arrowsmith et al., 2005), with modifications and additions. The main seismogenerating zones: Ch�K, Chilik�Kemin; A�S, Ak�Suu. (1) Strongest regional earthquake with M ≥ 5; (2) seismogravitational deformations; (3) seismotectonic defor�mations (seismic ditches and seismic escarpments) formed during the strongest earthquakes of the late 19th–early 20th century.

nighttime and used fire for illumination. That is whyall embers from the fire are in one place. What couldoccur to urge ancient builders to repair the wall?

Heavy damage in the settlement area before build�ing of the wall 2 is indicated by a big amount of finefragments of ceramic and clay bricks (?), which areidentified in the layers of rammed clay in the built onwall. Obviously, this waste material was not intention�ally prepared. It was collected from the cleared area ofthe settlement. Taking the proximity of the Kurmentysettlement to two seismoactive zones of North TienShan (Chilik�Kemin and Ak�Suu) and the periodicoccurrence of the strongest earthquakes on them(Fig. 6), we can suppose that heavy damage, i.e., thecracking of the initial wall of the settlement, occurredduring one of these quakes. Since the settlement wasan important political, trade, and military point ofEast Issyk�Kul region along the Silk Road, the repairworks had started immediately after the seismic event.Thus, the date given above (within the accuracy ofradiocarbon dating method) corresponds to theoccurrence time of a strong earthquake in the region inthe early 7th century AD.

However, we cannot locate the epicentral zone ofthis ancient earthquake only from destructions of onesettlement. The archeoseismological investigations ofother historical sites in Northeastern Issyk�Kul regionand the nearest seismogenerating zones are necessary.We can only suppose that many through cracks in thesublatitudinally trending wall might have indicate thedirection of main and the strongest seismic vibrationswas oriented subparallel to the wall trend (Korjenkovand Mazor, 2013); i.e., the source of seismic waves wasone of the segments of the Ak�Suu seismogeneratingzone, which was located WNW of the Kurmenty set�tlement (Fig. 6). Judging by the degree of deformationin the wall that has a thickness of 4 m, the local seismicintensity was at least VIII on MSK�64.

Thus, our earlier suggestion that changes in civili�zation epochs in the Semirechye and Issuk�Kulregions are preceded or accompanied by natural catas�trophes (Korjenkov et al., 2011) is verified.

The earthquake of the early 7th century seems to benot the only and last affected the walls of the Kur�menty settlement. The following earthquake (of theMiddle Ages?) added through cracks to both the initialwall and the built on part (Fig. 5). After this seismic

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KORZHENKOV et al.

event, the settlement was abandoned, as is indicatedby thick (more than 1 m) creeps on both sides of theinvestigated wall. The formation of these creeps takesmany centuries. Before the next (third by order) earth�quake or series of earthquakes, soil had formed on thecreeps (paleosoil in Fig. 7). Then, it was covered by thecolluvial fan superimposed by the recent soil.

It is important to note that the recovered paleosoilis thicker than the recent one. This indicates a smalltime interval that passes, since the third seismic eventuntil present. The colluvial fan most likely formed as aresult of the Chilik (1889, M = 8.4, I0 = X) and/orKebin (1911, M = 7.9, I0 = X–XI) earthquakes, themacroseismic zones of which were in the nearestvicinity of the Kurmenty settlement.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the archeoseismological investiga�tion of the Kurmenty settlement verify the seis�mogenic origin of deformations in the settlementwalls. The radiocarbon dating of the first seismic eventthat affected the settlement walls is the early 7th cen�tury AD. The second earthquake occurred several cen�turies later, probably, in the late Middle Ages. Thestrongest seismic events in North Tien Shan thatoccurred in the late 19th–early 20th century (Chilik

(1889, M = 8.4) and Kebin (1911, M = 7.9)) were thethird that damaged the walls of the Kurmenty settle�ment. The local shaking intensity during these seismicevents was I ≥ VII on the MSK�64 scale.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The work was supported by the International Sci�ence and Technology Center (grant no. KR�2011 andG�2153), the Russian Foundation for Basic Research(project no. 13�05�91168�GFEN_a), and by the Min�istry of Science and Technology, People Republic ofChina (Program entitled “International Science andTechnological Cooperation,” grantno. 2012DFR20440K02).

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Arrowsmith, J.R., Crosby, C.J., Korjenkov, A.M., Mamy�rov, E., and Povolotskaya, I., Surface rupture of the 1911Kebin (Chon�Kemin) earthquake, Northern Tien Shan,Kyrgyzstan, EOS, Trans., Am. Geophys. Union, 2005,vol. 86, Abstract T51F�05.

Recent soil

Crept wall

Paleosoil

Old wall

Fig. 7. Section of the archeological pit side across the recent creep in the southern wall of the Kurmenty settlement.



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Translated by N. Astafiev

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