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For over 15 years the Institute of the Earth’s Crust in Irkutsk is successfully developing collaborative researches with the French colleagues from Geosciences Montpellier (Dr. J.F. Ritzand others), Geosciences Azur (Dr. C. Larroque and others), Geosciences Rennes (Dr. M. Jolivet), ISTerre Savoie (Dr. R. Vassallo and others) as part of the study of active tectonic deformations and relief formation processes in the Baikal-Mongolian region. The research resulted in publications in international scientific journals.

The active faults of the Baikal-Mongolian region were studied repeatedly during the Russian-French and Russian-French-Mongolian fieldwork including morphotectonic and paleoseismological research in the largest fault zones therein – Tunka, Main Sayan, Bolnai, and Bogdinsky. The fieldwork yielded the data on fault kinematics, displacement rates along the faults, and large-earthquake recurrence intervals (Larroque et al., 2001; Arjannikova et al., 2004; Vassallo et al., 2007; Rizza et al., 2015; Arzhannikova et al., 2015). Collaborative research for studies of the Meso-Cenozoic relief evolution produced significant results, particularly referring to identification of the vast early-Jurassic peneplanation surface in Central-Asia (Jolivet et al., 2007). Not least important are the results concerning time determination for reactivation of tectonic processes related to region-affecting lateral compression produced by the Indo-Asian collision (Vassallo et al., 2007; Arzhannikova et al., 2011), tracing the history of late-Pleistocene glaciation in the Sayan-Tuva Upland using cosmogenic isotope dating of glacial relief forms (Arzhannikov et al., 2012; Arzhannikov et al., 2015), tracing the Meso-Cenozoic evolution of relief in the Oka-Jombolok area of East Sayan from the fission-track and cosmogenic-isotope data (Jolivet et al., 2013(1)), and model development for the history of the Baikal rift and adjacent areas with compressive and tensile deformation regimes in a uniform stress filed (Jolivet et al., 2013(2)).

1. Larroque C., Ritz J.F., Stéphan J.F., Sankov V., Arjannikova A., Calais E., Deverchere J. et Loncke L. Interaction compression-extension a la limite Mongolie-Siberie:analyse preliminaire des deformations recentes et actuelles dans le bassin de Tunka // C.R. Acad.Sci. Paris,Sciences de la Terre et des planetes / Earth and Planetary sciences № 332 (2001). C. 177-184.
2. A. Arjannikova, C. Larroque, J. -F. Ritz, J. Déverchère, J. F. Stéphan, S. Arjannikov, V. San'kov  Geometry and kinematics of recent deformation in the Mondy-Tunka area (south-westernmost Baikal rift zone, Mongolia-Siberia) // Terra Nova, 2004, v. 16, № 5, p. 265-272.
3. M. Jolivet, J.-F. Ritz, R. Vassallo, C. Larroque, R. Braucher, M. Todbileg, A. Chauvet, C. Sue, N. Arnaud, R. De Vicente, A. Arzhanikova, S. Arzhanikov Mongolian summits: An uplifted, flat, old but still preserved erosion surface // Geology, 2007.- V. 35, № 10. - P. 871–874.
4. Vassallo, R., J-F. Ritz, R. Braucher, M. Jolivet, S. Carretier, C. Larroque, A. Chauvet, C. Sue, M. Todbileg, D. Bourles, A. Arzhannikova and S. Arzhannikov. Transpressional tectonics and stream terraces of the Gobi-Altay, Mongolia // Tectonics, 2007, Vol. 26, TC5013, 24 pp. doi: 10.1029/2006TC002081.
5. Arzhannikova A., Arzhannikov S., Jolivet M., Vassallo R., Chauvet A. Pliocene to Quaternary deformation in South East Sayan (Siberia): Initiation of the Tertiary compressive phase in the southern termination of the Baikal Rift System // Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2011, 40, 581-594, doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2010.10.11
6. S.G. Arzhannikov, R. Braucher, M. Jolivet, A.V. Arzhannikova, R. Vassallo, A. Chauvet, D. Bourles, F. Chauvet History of late Pleistocene glaciations in the central Sayan-Tuva Upland (southern Siberia) // Quaternary Science Reviews, 2012. V.49, pp. 16-32. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.06.005
7. M. Rizza, J-F. Ritz, C. Prentice, R.Vassallo, R. Braucher, C. Larroque, A. Arzhannikova, S. Arzhannikov, S. Mahan, M. Massault, J.-L. Michelot, M. Todbileg, ASTER Team. Earthquake geology of the Bolnay fault (Mongolia) // Bulletin of Seismological Society of America, 2015, Vol. 105, № 1.  Pp. 72-93. doi: 10.1785/0120140119
8. Arzhannikova, A.V., Vassallo, R., Arzhannikov, S.G. & Jolivet, M. (2015). – Morphotectonics and paleoseismology of the eastern end of the Bolnay fault (Mongolia). – Russian Geology and  Geophysics, 56 (10), 1484–1490.
9. S.G. Arzhannikov, R. Braucher, M. Jolivet, A.V. Arzhannikova Late Pleistocene glaciations in southern East Sayan and detection of MIS 2 end moraines based on beryllium (10Be) dating of glacier complexes // Russian Geology and Geophysics, 2015. – V. 56. Pp. 1509–1521.
10. Jolivet M., Arzhannikov S., Arzhannikova A., Chauvet A., Vassallo R., Braucher R. Geomorphic Mesozoic and Cenozoic evolution in the Oka-Jombolok region (East Sayan ranges, Siberia) // Journal of Asian Earth Sciences. – 2013 (1). - V. 62. – Special Issue SI. – P. 117-133. Doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2011.09.017.
11. Jolivet M., Arzhannikov S., Chauvet A., Arzhannikova A.,Vassallo R., Kulagina N., Akulova V. Accomodating large-scale intracontinental extension and compression in a single stress-field: A key example from the Baikal Rift System   // Gondwana Research. – 2013 (2). - V. 24. – Issues 3-4. – P. 918-935. Doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2012.07.017