Active Tectonics of North-Eastern Taymyr (Byrranga Mountains) and Questions of Seismo-Tectonic Regionalization of the Russian Arctic

Abstract

In this paper, we present the first results of complex geological and geophysical studies of active tectonics in the northeast of Taymyr that were carried out during the expedition of the Northern Fleet and the Russian Geographical Society in 2020. At the foot of the Byrranga Mountains, a wide zone of active fault-folded tectonic deformations was identified and studied. The general kinematics of displacements is reverse-thrust with signs of shear. The structural style of young tectonic deformations bears a direct resemblance to well-studied structural analogues of the Central Asian seismic belt. The Taymyr seismotectonic zone reveals both spatial and genetic isolation. It has an individual model of the Late Cenozoic geodynamic evolution and modern seismotectonic regime, which differs sharply from the Laptev Sea rift zone adjacent to the east. A complex of geological and geophysical methods showed the high efficiency of application in the Arctic to identify young fault-fold structures, which are potential sources of strong earthquakes.