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The Tien Shan accommodates a significant portion of the India‐Eurasia N‐S convergence. In its northern part a zigzag pattern of mountain ranges bounds the western Ili Basin. The role of this basin in the overall shortening and the regional kinematics is not well understood. Geodetic data and instrumental seismicity are not sufficient to infer the role of individual faults and fault systems. We analyze GPS data and earthquake slip vectors and present the results of fault mapping based on remote sensing and field campaigns in the western Ili Basin. These observations indicate that E‐W thrust faults are active at the basin margins, and oblique and strike‐slip faults, both in the basin and in the Paleozoic rocks within the mountain ranges, have been active in the Late Quaternary. We propose a regional tectonic model in which the left‐lateral strike‐slip faults at the NW margin of the basin accommodate ~3‐mm/year NE‐SW shear. Smaller right‐lateral oblique faults transfer the motion in between the left‐lateral faults, and also take up shortening by rotations about vertical axes. We see the onset of internal deformation within the Ili Basin, although it has a strong basement. Our kinematic model is consistent with geodetic data, earthquake seismology, historical, and prehistorical surface faulting, and describes the first‐order features of active deformation that can be observed in the northern Tien Shan. Our study illustrates the importance of combining these different data sets to understand the regional tectonics. We investigated active faults in the western Ili Basin in the Tien Shan by remote sensing, field studies, earthquake seismology, and GPS dataLarge left‐lateral strike‐slip faults accommodate a NE‐SW shear componentOblique right‐lateral faults transfer deformation between large left‐lateral strike‐slip faults and accommodate shortening by rotation about vertical axes

The Zailisky Alatau is a >250 km long mountain range in Southern Kazakhstan. Its northern rangefront around the major city of Almaty has more than 4 km topographic relief, yet in contrast to other large mountain fronts in the Tien Shan, little is known about its Late Quaternary tectonic activity despite several destructive earthquakes in the historical record. We analyze the tectonic geomorphology of the rangefront fault using field observations, differential GPS measurements of fault scarps, historical and recent satellite imagery, meter‐scale topography derived from stereo satellite images, and decimeter‐scale elevation models from unmanned aerial vehicle surveys. Fault scarps ranging in height from ~2 m to >20 m in alluvial fans indicate that surface rupturing earthquakes occurred along the rangefront fault since the Last Glacial Maximum. Minimum estimated magnitudes for those earthquakes are M6.8–7. Radiocarbon dating results from charcoal layers in uplifted river terraces indicate a Holocene slip rate of ~1.2–2.2 mm/a. We find additional evidence for active tectonic deformation all along the Almaty rangefront, basinward in the Kazakh platform, and in the interior of the Zailisky mountain range. Our data indicate that the seismic hazard faced by Almaty comes from a variety of sources, and we emphasize the problems related to urban growth into the loess‐covered foothills and secondary earthquake effects. With our structural and geochronologic framework, we present a schematic evolution of the Almaty rangefront that may be applicable to similar settings of tectonic shortening in the mountain ranges of Central Asia. Post Last Glacial Maximum tectonic activity along the Almaty rangefront is expressed in fault scarps in alluvial fans, folding, uplifted abandoned river terraces, and backthrustsActive deformation is laterally distributed, affecting the rangefront, the interior of the mountains, and the forelandThe Holocene slip rate of the rangefront fault is ~1.2–2.2 mm/a in the eastern section

The study of surface ruptures is key to understanding the earthquake occurrence of faults especially in the absence of historical events. We present a detailed analysis of geomorphic displacements along the Dzhungarian Fault, which straddles the border of China and Kazakhstan. We use digital elevation models derived from structure‐from‐motion analysis of Pléiades satellite imagery and drone imagery from specific field sites to measure surface offsets. We provide direct age constraints from alluvial terraces displaced by faulting and indirect dating from morphological analysis of the scarps. We find that the southern 250 km of the fault likely ruptured in a single event in the last 4,000 years, with displacements of 10–15 m, and potentially up to 20 m at one site. We infer that this Dzhungarian rupture is likely linked with a previously identified paleo‐earthquake rupture on the Lepsy Fault through a system of splays in the intervening highlands. Though there are remaining uncertainties regarding consistency in age constraints between the two fault ruptures, most of the sites along the two faults are consistent with a most recent event 2,000–4,000 years ago. Rupture on the Dzhungarian Fault alone is likely to have exceeded Mw8, and the combined Lepsy‐Dzhungarian rupture scenario may have been up to Mw8.4. Despite being at the upper end of known or inferred continental earthquake magnitudes, our proposed scenario combining the 375 km of the Dzhungarian and Lepsy ruptures yields a slip‐to‐length ratio consistent with global averages and so do other historical intracontinental earthquakes in Central Asia. Numerous large, destructive earthquakes have occurred on faults inside the continents in recent centuries. However, comparing to plate‐boundary faults, the behaviors of intracontinental faults are not well understood. We undertake a detailed survey of the surface ruptures along the Dzhungarian Fault, one of the major faults in Central Asia. We map and analyze high‐resolution satellite and drone imagery. We identify fresh surface ruptures distributed along the southern 250 km of the Dzhungarian Fault. We suggest that these ruptures were produced in a single event which probably caused displacements of up to ∼20 m and no <6 m. We also present evidence that the Dzhungarian Fault and its neighboring Lepsy Fault may have ruptured together. Using their combined length, we calculate a slip‐to‐length ratio which lies within the expected range instead of an unusually high ratio mentioned previously. Our age constraints indicate the most recent event for the two fault ruptures occurred 2,000–4,000 years ago. We estimate the potential maximum earthquake magnitudes to be Mw8.2 for the Dzhungarian Fault rupturing alone and Mw8.4 for the combined rupture of the Lepsy‐Dzhungarian Faults. This second scenario would be one of the largest magnitudes ever inferred for a continental earthquake. We present evidence for a large paleo‐earthquake on a major intracontinental strike‐slip fault from analysis of high‐resolution imageryThe Dzhungarian and Lepsy Faults might have ruptured together in a single event (up to Mw8.4) with fault slip of up to ∼20 m at one siteA compilation of intracontinental earthquakes shows these faults follow the global earthquake scaling relationships of slip and length We present evidence for a large paleo‐earthquake on a major intracontinental strike‐slip fault from analysis of high‐resolution imagery The Dzhungarian and Lepsy Faults might have ruptured together in a single event (up to Mw8.4) with fault slip of up to ∼20 m at one site A compilation of intracontinental earthquakes shows these faults follow the global earthquake scaling relationships of slip and length

The Makran Subduction Zone marks the plate boundary between the Arabian and Eurasian plate within the northern Arabian Sea. The only instrumentally recorded earthquake (MW 8.1) that triggered a tsunami along this subduction zone occurred on 27 November, 1945. We summarise and review individual observations of both: earthquake and tsunami. Published scientific reports, newspaper articles as well as eyewitness accounts are used. The information gathered reveals the impact along the shorelines of the Arabian Sea. It is evident that the most severe impact was encountered along the Pakistani shoreline in close proximity to the epicentre of the earthquake. Additionally, the low lying Indus river delta was severely affected. The most distant record of the tsunami is located on the Seychelles Islands; 3,400 km from the epicentre. The tsunami was observed along the eastern shoreline of Oman. Several eyewitnesses report that the sea rose unexpectedly. A storm event is excluded, as such would have been recognised beforehand. The damages reported for the Omani coastline are only minor. However, locally the coastline is decorated by boulder and block deposits. These are interpreted as indicative for palaeo-tsunami with higher run-ups. The total number of casualties along the entire area of impact is estimated in the order of a couple of hundreds. Reports of several thousand casualties are exaggerated and derive from early estimations that were not confirmed.