1. Geodetic constraints on slip rates of large Central Asian faults 2. Earthquake Emergency Education in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

1. Geodetic constraints on slip rates of large Central Asian faults Deformation throughout the Hindu Kush-Pamir-South Tien Shan section of the Alpine-Himalayan collision, as measured with GPS, shares characteristics in common with neighboring regions in Iran and Tibet, particularly the presence of numerous large faults with relatively low slip rates and large areas of distributed high elevation, suggesting similarities in regional dynamics. The convergence rate between India and Eurasia across this region is 27 ± 2 mm/yr, accommodated over more than 500,000 km2 on thrust faulting north of the Peshawar Basin, the Hindu Kush, and within the Pamir (12 ± 3 mm/yr), and across the Alai-South Tien Shan (10 ± 4 mm/yr) with complementary slip on the Chaman-Gardiz (-5 ± 4 mm/yr) and Darvaz-Karakul (-12 ± 4 mm/yr) shear systems. The Pamir itself appears to deform through pure shear, with east-west extension of 11 ± 10 mm/yr comparable to the north-south shortening rate. By contrast, slip rates on the Herat and Talas-Ferghana faults are negligible. 2. Earthquake Emergency Education in Dushanbe, Tajikistan We developed a middle school earthquake science and hazards curriculum to promote earthquake awareness to students in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan. These materials include pre- and post-assessment activities, six directed inquiry-based science activities describing physical processes related to earthquakes, five interactive activities on earthquake hazards and mitigation strategies, and a codification art/literacy project. This curriculum was implemented with 43 middle school students in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in the winter of 2008. We examine the effectiveness of each curriculum component in communicating the causes, effects, and mitigation strategies associated with earthquakes to young people, and find significant improvements in seismic and earthquake hazards literacy as a result of the program