Proceedings of the 12th International INQUA meeting on paleoseismology, active tectonic and archaeoseismology

Fig. 4: A shows a geomorphic map of the Salyan trench site. B is a UAV derived DEM of the trench site showing the 54 m offset riser. C shows the 8 m offset riser of the Qt3 terrace. D shows the LaDiCoaz restoration of the terrace riser. Trench 1 shows evidence for between 4 and 6 surface rupturing events in the last 3000 years, giving a recurrence interval of 500 to 800 years (Fig. 5). Trench 2 was excavated in the youngest terrace deposit and consists of a mixture of gravels, sands and silts. From upwards terminations of fault strands and differences in vertical offset we have evidence for 2 to 3 events in the last 600 years (Fig. 5). Both trenches show 2 to 3 events in the last 600 years. Fau O lt u l r en fa g u t l h t mapping using a combination of remote sensing and field observation shows that the West Caspian Fault is at least 150 km in length (Fig. 1). By following along trend mud volcano alignments into the offshore realm, the maximum fault length could be up to 250 km. This fault is a major structure separating the Kura and South Caspian basins. Maximum magnitude and basin rheology Assuming the West Caspian Fault follows scaling relationships between length, slip and magnitude (e.g., Wesnousky, 2008), the fault can host a Mw 7.5 event. However, the rheology of basin sediments may inhibit this potential. A series of earthquakes in nearby Turkmenistan lowlands (with a similar rheology) showed