Scientists from Nazarbayev University, together with researchers from the Institute of Ionosphere, have found out how the terrain in Almaty changes. In some areas of the city, the ground rises or falls by several centimeters a year, reports infohub.kz.
According to the project leader, Emil Bayramov, a lecturer at Nazarbayev University, the region is affected by complex processes related to the ongoing collision of tectonic plates. Both vertical and horizontal shifts of the earth are observed: some areas rise or fall, while others shift west or east.
The most noticeable deformations of the relief occur in the central part of Almaty, along the central Almaty fault. The researchers made these conclusions based on observations from 2017 to 2023.
Over a year, individual sections of the relief sink by 9 centimeters or rise by 5 centimeters. In addition, surface layers shift horizontally, from west to east and from north to south, up to 21 centimeters per year.
The scientists emphasize that it is impossible to predict earthquakes from the places of displacements. However, in these zones, human activity, such as construction or pumping of groundwater, can accelerate the displacement of the relief.