The Caucasus Seismic Network: The Uplift and Structure of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus

The Greater Caucasus forms a portion of the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt that has undergone rapid uplift in the past 5 million years thus offering a natural laboratory to study the early stages of orogenesis. Lower resolution seismic velocity models for this region show contradictory lateral variability. Also, recent waveform modeling of seismograms have clearly demonstrated the presence of deep earthquakes below the Greater Caucasus. Due to a lack of quality data, the region has largely been unexplored in terms of the detailed uppermost mantle and crustal seismic structure. Using data from over 96 new seismic stations in Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, and Georgia, we hope to gain a better understanding of the recent uplift of the Greater Caucasus and the nature of seismogenic deformation in the region.