Lineament mapping, which is an important part of any structural geological investigation, is made more efficient and easier by the availability of optical as well as radar remote sensing data, such as Landsat and Sentinel with medium and high spatial resolutions. However, the results from these multi-resolution data vary due to their difference in spatial resolution and sensitivity to soil occupation. The accuracy and quality of extracted lineaments depend strongly on the spatial resolution of the imagery. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the optical Landsat-8, Sentinel-2A, and radar Sentinel-1A satellite data for automatic lineament extraction. The framework of automatic approach includes defining the optimal parameters for automatic lineament extraction with a combination of edge detection and line-linking algorithms and determining suitable bands from optical data suited for lineament mapping in the study area. For the result validation, the extracted lineaments are compared against the manually obtained lineaments through the application of directional filtering and edge enhancement as well as to the lineaments digitized from the existing geological maps of the study area. In addition, a digital elevation model (DEM) has been utilized for an accuracy assessment followed by the field verification. The obtained results show that the best correlation between automatically extracted lineaments, manual interpretation, and the preexisting lineament map is achieved from the radar Sentinel-1A images. The tests indicate that the radar data used in this study, with 5872 and 5865 lineaments extracted from VH and VV polarizations respectively, is more efficient for structural lineament mapping than the Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2A optical imagery, from which 2338 and 4745 lineaments were extracted respectively.

The Chatkal‐Kurama terrane represents a key region in understanding the tectonic evolution of the western Tian Shan. In this contribution, we present new thermochronological data (zircon (U‐Th‐ Sm)/He, apatite fission track, and apatite (U‐Th‐Sm)/He) and the associated thermal history models for 30 igneous samples from the Chatkal‐Kurama terrane within Uzbekistan and Tajikistan (west of the Talas‐Fergana Fault), and integrate our data with published data from the central Tian Shan (east of the Talas‐Fergana Fault). The Chatkal‐Kurama terrane experienced a phase of rapid cooling during the Triassic‐Jurassic at ca. 225‐190 Ma, which we interpret as a far‐field response to the closure of the Palaeo‐Asian Ocean or the accretion of the Qiangtang terrane on to the Eurasian margin. In the late Jurassic to the early Cretaceous, the Chatkal‐Kurama terrane experienced a period of tectonic stability and denudation, before transitioning into a period of marine incursions of the Paratethys Sea. In contrast, fast cooling is recorded for the Kyrgyz central Tian Shan to the east of the Talas‐Fergana Fault. The differing thermal histories at either side of the Talas‐Fergana Fault suggest that the fault induced a topographic divide during the late Jurassic–early Cretaceous, with high relief in the east (Kyrgyz Tian Shan) and low relief to the west (Uzbek‐Tajik Tian Shan). Finally, the Chatkal‐Kurama terrane experienced renewed tectonic activity since ca. 30 Ma, related with the distant India‐Eurasia collision and Pamir indentation. The Cenozoic reactivation induced crustal tilting of the Chatkal‐ Kurama terrane, progressively exposing deeper rocks to the south‐west.

Surface soil grain-size distribution (GSD) is a fundamental terminal record of aeolian processes and land-surface erodibility. However, a macro-scale understanding of GSD spatial heterogeneity and its quantitative coupling with seasonal atmospheric circulation dynamics in Central Asia remains insufficient. Based on an extensive dataset of 325 surface soil samples across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, this study systematically investigates the GSD patterns and their climatic drivers. Our results reveal a pronounced spatial gradient: coarse-textured soils dominate the northwestern and eastern desert plains, whereas fine-grained sediments are sequestered in the southeastern mountain-basin systems. We demonstrate that this heterogeneity is rigorously governed by seasonal wind regimes: the Siberian High directs coarse particle entrainment and transport during spring, while the mid-latitude westerlies and local topographic modulation (e.g., the Tian Shan and Pamir barriers) control the fine-grained sorting continuum. Furthermore, the desiccated Aral Sea bed serves as a distinctive anthropogenic dust source, perturbing regional natural sorting patterns. These findings provide critical empirical constraints for dust emission modeling and underscore the sensitivity of Central Asian land surfaces to shifting atmospheric circulation patterns.

Rapakivi granites are commonly interpreted as products of interaction between mantle-derived and crustal magmas, yet their origin in collisional orogens remains poorly understood. Here we investigate the petrogenesis and tectonic significance of the middle Eocene Jamak pluton in the Central Pamir using zircon U–Pb geochronology, zircon trace-element geochemistry, mineral chemistry, and whole-rock geochemical data. Zircon U–Pb dating yields a crystallization age of 40.20 ± 0.24 Ma, confirming emplacement during a regional pulse of Eocene magmatism associated with the early stages of the India–Asia collision. The granites display characteristic rapakivi textures and high-K calc-alkaline, metaluminous to weakly peraluminous compositions. Trace-element patterns are marked by enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements, depletion in high-field-strength elements, high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, and adakitic affinities, indicating a significant lower-crustal contribution. Zircon trace-element compositions, Ti-in-zircon thermometry, and oxygen fugacity estimates reveal episodic thermal perturbations, magma replenishment, and the involvement of high-temperature mantle-derived melts. Distinct rare-earth-element patterns recorded by zircon cores and rims, together with the bimodal character of the pluton and widespread rapakivi textures, indicate interaction between two compositionally contrasting magmas. While bearing I-type-like geochemical affinity, they show signatures of post-collisional magmatism. We interpret the granites as products of mixing between asthenosphere-derived mafic melts and felsic melts generated by partial melting of garnet-bearing lower crust, from which they inherited the I-type geochemical signatures. The geochemical characteristics of the Jamak pluton are most consistent with localized convective removal of lithospheric mantle beneath the Central Pamir, which promoted asthenospheric upwelling, mafic underplating, lower-crustal melting, and magma hybridization.