Geodynamical Evolution of the Earth’s Crust of Central Asia and Recent Geodynamics of the Kopet Dag Region, Turkmenistan

Abstract—Current problems of combining the results of mathematical modeling for the geodynamical evolution of the Earth’s crust in Central Asia with the instrumental data on recent surface deformations of the Earth obtained by the geodetic monitoring systems in the Northern Iran and South Turkmenistan are discussed. Based on the integrated analysis of the data obtained in the Northern Iran and Southern Turkmenistan, the annual average strain rates are estimated and their amplitudes are found to range within (10–8–10–9) yr–1. It is concluded that over the past 55 years, the interaction region between the Iranian and Turanian plates within the Peredovoi Kopet Dag fault (Ashkhabad fault) has been in the state of quasi static (soft) regional loading. The obtained strain-rate and tilt estimates are analyzed in comparison against the reference geodynamical process—the Earth’s tide. It is established that the average strain rate in a seismically active region is equal to or less than 1–2 amplitudes of Earth’s tidal strains per year. It is demonstrated that the modeling results of geodynamical processes cannot serve as a substitute for the real-time instrumental observations of the vertical and horizontal surface displacements of the Earth.