A Review of Recent Case Studies of Landslides Investigated in the Tien Shan Using Microseismic and Other Geophysical Methods

This paper reviews recent case studies completed on landslides (and dams) with probable (post-) seismic origin or susceptible to seismic failure in the Tien Shan, Central Asia. The first investigation presented here was carried out in 2005 on the Kainama earthflow, mainly composed of loess, which occurred in April 2004 and killed 33 people. Geophysical and seismological were used to build a reliable 3D model of the geometry and properties of the subsurface layers.
The paper will also present results from microseismic measurements on loess landslides in Tajikistan that partly have a seismic origin. They are located close to the area that was affected in 1949 by the M=7.4 Khait earthquake and the numerous landslides triggered during the event, including the Khait rock avalanche.