ARKADI STEPAN KARAKHANYAN
(1951-2017)
To the 75th anniversary
The 75th anniversary of birth of Arkadi Stepan Karakhanyan, Doctor of Geological Science, an eminent geologist and internationally renowned expert in active tectonics and recent geodynamics is celebrated on March 19, 2026.
A. S. Karakhanyan was born in Yerevan in 1951. In 1968, he entered the Geology Department of the YSU and, after graduating from it in 1973, started his work at the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. In 1983, he defended his PHD thesis on «The lineaments of the Anatolia-Caucasus and Iran Region based on remote sensing data» at the Moscow State University. Later, in 1995, he completed his Doctorate Thesis at the RAS Institute of Earth Physics addressing «Active Faults and Strong Earthquakes of the Anatolian-Lesser Caucasian Region».In 1992-1995, Dr. Karakhanyan worked with the National Survey for Seismic Protection as an expert and deputy general director on science. Afterwards, he continued his studies at the IGS, and led the Department of Geodynamics and Geological Hazards of the Institute since 1995. To expand the research capabilities then available at the IGS, Dr. Karakhanyan founded the GEORISK Scientific Research Company in 1998 and managed it until being elected Director of the Institute of Geological Sciences in 2006, which he headed until 2017. It was during this period that his scientific talent and managerial skills had developed most brightly.
Dr. Karakhanyan was among the scientists who were first to undertake and realize study of the surface break generated by the disastrous Spitak earthquake of 1988, localized in the zone of junction of the northern segment of the Garni Fault and the Pambak-Sevan-Syunik Fault. The findings of the study contradicted the common opinion then supported by geologists and seismologists who had considered that earthquakes of that big intensity could not occur in the Southern Caucasus. Since that time, scientific achievements of Dr. A.S. Karakhanyan have considerably promoted the research on active tectonics, assessments of seismic hazard and risk and other geological hazards in Armenia advancing professional standards up to a much higher level.
The fundamental and novel character of studies Dr. Karakhanyan led in that period was highly valued and the scientist got recognized among the scientific community of the world. For his professionalism and scientific reputation, he had been many times invited to conduct expert studies in Iran, Georgia, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Egypt, Kazakhstan and Russian Federation. Over the years of his scientific activity, Dr. A.S. Karakhanyan had managed a few dozens of national and international projects in basic and applied science.
As a principled and hard-working scientist, extremely demanding to himself and to his colleagues, he gave specific attention to developing new lines of research at the Institute. Dr. Karakhanyan’s name is closely related to the establishment and developments of scientific schools of active tectonics, and paleo- and archeo-seismology. As an individual gifted with creative and constructive approach and a hard-worker, he always strove to attach high importance to the training of young researchers. Currently, a few generations of his scientific disciples pursue their work and creative activity at the Institute of Geological Sciences thus ensuring continued progress and development of many of Dr. Karakhanyan’s scientific research projects and initiatives. In this regard, the extension and upgrading of the network of seismic and GPS observations estabished at the IGS under Dr. Karakhanyan’s leadership in the framework of international cooperation in 2012 serves a vivid example; this effort has contributed to the continuous study of active faults, recent geodynamics and geological hazards.
Arkady Karakhanyan has great contribution in the development of geological science and education of highly qualified scientific workers in Armenia.
A. S. Karakhanyan authors a few monographs, as well as tens of scientific papers published in local, and also in highly-ranked international scientiific journals, namely, Tectonophysics, Journal of Volcanology and Geоthermal Research, Bulletin of the Geological Society of America – Special Papers, Annals of Geophysics, Geodinamica Acta, Journal of Quaternary Science, Paleorient, Journal of Geological Science of Japan, and Journal of Seismology. His last two papers published in 2017 in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America Series of Special Papers merit special notice: in these works, Dr. Karakhanyan and his co-authors summarize the state-of-the art evidence on the seismotectonics of Armenia and the region as a whole, and elaborate on the new archeoseismicity data related to the active Pambak-Sevan-Syunik Fault, the most extensive fault in the country.
A. S. Karakhanyan had succesfully managed many basic and applied-research projects that had great importance for the science, contributing to the sustainable development of Armenia and leading to significant outcomes. Let us mention a few of them.
– Assessment of seismic risk for Yerevan, Gyumri, Dilijan, Kapan and other cities: the studies were realized under the projects of the UN Development Program;
– Leadership/management of activities on the preparation of new seismic zoning map of Armenia officially approved by the World Bank Project and by the Government of Armenia. The map was based on the seismotectonic model of the territory of Armenia, which was an outcome of long-standing studies led by Dr. A. Karakhanyan and his colleagues;
– The large-scale project on seismic and volcanic hazard assessment for the area of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant. It was implemented in 2009-2011, when the issue of construction of the new ANPP power unit was under discussion. The works were conducted in compliance with the IAEA criteria and were approved and estimated highly by international experts.
Also, A. S Karakhanyan directed the applied-science project of geological-geophysical investigation aimed to assess the geothermal energy potential of Armenia (2009-2012). In 2015-2016, the Renewable Resources and Energy Efficiency project of the World Bank was investigating the reserves of the geothermal field in Karkar, Southeastern Armenia, Dr. Karakhanyan was involved as a local consultant to deal with the issues of preparation and realization of the exploratory drilling works.
The wide range of Dr. Karakhanyan’s scientific interests and his broad erudition were reflected in the research he organized at the crossroads of diverse disciplines such as geology, archeology, environmental science and history. As a result of cooperation between national and foreign archeologists, Armenian geologists had inestimable contribution not only in the study, but also in new discoveries of archeological monuments of our country.
Unfortunately, Dr. A. S. Karakhanyan’s life unexpectedly еnded on November 13, 2017; at the age of 67, he was on the peak of his creative activity. Several projects, planned publications and research plans remained unfinished.
After the premature death of Dr. Karakhanyan, his colleagues worked hard to perpetuate the memory of his achievements. An international scientific conference entitled “Ancient Armenia at the crossroads: in honor of Arkady Karakhаnyan” was conducted in Lyon, France, on November 6-7, 2018. The conference was organized by joined efforts of the IGS of NAS RA and CNRS Archéorient, France. The event summarized and generalized the decade-long studies led by the French-Armenian International Associated Laboratory (LIA) based on the cooperation between the NAS of RA Institutes of Geology and Archeology and Ethnography, on one hand, and their French counterpart, on the other hand. A few selected articles from the conference proceedings were published as a special volume of the reputable Quaternary International Journal in 2021.
In 2018, by the initiative and through the collaborative efforts of the Presidium of NAS of RA, IGS and MES (Ministry of Emergency Situations, RA) an international conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Spitak earthquake was organized and held. The idea of an event entitled as “Thirty Years after the Spitak Earthquake: Experience and Perspectives” was earlier proposed by A. S. Karakhanyan. During the conference, a special scientific session on “Seismological and geophyisical studies: seismotectonics, paleoseismology and archeoseismology” held in memory of A.S. Karakhanyan included 21 scientific presentations made by scientists from different countries. In the welcome speech opening the session, scientists from Armenia, Russia, France and Italy touched upon Dr. Karakhanyan’s contribution in the studies discussed during the presentations.
In 2020, volume 3 of Geology Today, the renowned popular science journal published by the Geological Association of London and British Geological Association, included an extensive article on the volcanology and geology of Armenia in memory of A. S. Karakhanyan, prepared by the Armenian and British colleagues jointly.
Many of Dr. Karakhanyan’s studies he left unfinished are now in progress, elaborated by his Armenian and foreign partners and disciples. From 2017 onwards, 10 presentations made at international scientific wrkshops and three papers published in the Geological Quarterly, JGR Solid Earth and Quaternary Science Reviews journals with posthumous co-authorship of A. S. Karakhanyan have addressed issues of the active tectonics of Armenia, geological structure of Lake Sevan, seismic tomography and geological analysis of its area, as well other associated disciplines.
Dr. A.S. Karakhanyan was member to INHIGEO (International Commission on the History of the Earth Science) and corresponding member to the Engineering Academy of Armenia. By the government of Armenia, he was awarded Class 2 Medal for «Service to the Country», and a medal and certificates of merit for his contribution in the studies of the 1988 Spitak earthquake.
Institute of Geological Sciences of the NAS of RA