scholarly journals Revelation of Potentially Seismic Dangerous Tectonic Structures in a View of Modern Geodynamics of the Eastern Caucasus (Azerbaijan)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talat Kangarli ◽  
Tahir Mammadli ◽  
Fuad Aliyev ◽  
Rafig Safarov ◽  
Sabina Kazimova

The stress state of the earth’s crust in the Eastern Caucasus, located in the zone of collision junction of the North Caucasian, South Caucasian, and Central Iranian continental massifs, is a consequence of the inclusion of the Arabian indenter into the buffer structures of the southern framing of Eurasia at the continental stage of alpine tectogenesis. This evidenced from the results of geophysical observations of the structure and seismic-geodynamic activity of the region’s crust. The latter, at the neotectonic stage, was presented as underthrust of the South Caucasian microplate under the southern structures of Eurasia. The analysis and correlation of historical and recent seismic events indicate the confinement of most earthquake foci to the nodes of intersection of active faults with various orientations or to the planes of deep tectonic ruptures and lateral displacements along unstable contacts of material complexes of various competencies. The focal mechanisms of seismic events reveal various rupture types, but in general, the earthquake foci are confined to the nodes of intersection of faults of the general Caucasian and anti-Caucasian directions. Based on the observed weak seismicity, active areas of deep faults were identified, which are accepted as potential source zones.

2019 ◽  
pp. 3-11
Author(s):  
E. A. Rogozhin ◽  
A. V. Gorbatikov ◽  
Yu. V. Kharazova ◽  
M. Yu. Stepanova ◽  
J. Chen ◽  
...  

In the period from 2007 to 2017 complex geological and geophysical studies were carried out in the three largest flexural-rupture fault zones in the North-West Caucasus (Anapa, Akhtyrka and Moldavan). The micro-seismic sounding (MSM) was used as the main geophysical method. Studies with the help of MSM allowed us to identify the features of the deep structure of the earth’s crust in the study area and to associate them with specific tectonic structures on the surface.The binding was carried out by harmonizing the results of the MSM and the parameters of the section of the sedimentary cover and crustal boundaries according to the drilling data and the work previously performed by the reflected wave method (MOVZ). It was found that the Anapa flexure and longitudinal tectonic zones have clear deep roots, and also separate the pericline of the North-Western Caucasus from the Taman Peninsula and from the lowered blocks of the Northern slope of the folded system.Faults in the study area are divided into: (1) deep faults of the Caucasian stretch, penetrating into the lower crust and even to the upper mantle, and (2) near-surface faults, do not extend to the depths beyond the thickness of the sedimentary cover. The seismogenic role of these tectonic disturbances in the studied seismically active region has been determined.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miklós Kázmér

AbstractTunisia is known of sparse and moderate earthquakes. However, there are seismically damaged historical buildings in the eastern Sahel region. The Roman amphitheatre of Thysdrus (modern El-Jem), various Islamic religious and secular buildings in Sousse and Monastir testify to seismic events with intensity up to IX (EMS98 scale). We raise the hypothesis that their destruction was caused by the nearby east-west Cherichira-Abaieh Fault and the north-south Monastir Fault. Simultaneity of the 859 AD Kairouan earthquake and extensive restoration works in Sousse 50 km to the east allow assessing magnitude up to 7.2 based on segment length. The city was hit both by the 859 AD and a post-1575 earthquake. Being nearby two active faults, seismic hazard in Sousse is higher than either in Kairouan or in Monastir.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1099-1126 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. N. Kangarli ◽  
F. A. Kadirov ◽  
G. J. Yetirmishli ◽  
F. A. Aliyev ◽  
S. E. Kazimova ◽  
...  

Our study was focused on the active tectonics of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus within Azerbaijan. The study area is the zone of under-thrusting (pseudosubduction) interaction between Southern and Northern Caucasus continental microplates, which caused the tectonic stratification of the Alpine formations into various allochthonous and parauthochthonous thrust slices of southern vergency between the Middle Bajocian and Quaternary periods. These slices are grouped into the nappe complexes that form the modern structure of the trough in the study area. The large linearly stretched tectonic units (megazones) correspond to the axis of the Alpine marginal sea basin, the consolidated crust of which is subjected to destruction and thinning. The trough’s Alpine cover was compressed in the underthrust zone and pushed southwards. As a result, an accretionary prism formed allochthonously overlapping the northern side of the Southern Caucasus microplate by the system of gently dipping overthrusts. During the continental stage of Alpine tectogenesis (starting from the end of Miocene), intensive lateral compression process was caused by intrusion of the frontal wedge of the Arabian indenter into the buffer structures of the southern frame of Eurasia. This is evidenced by the GPS monitoring data on modern geodynamic activity, which demonstrates the Southern Caucasus block’s intensive (up to 29 mm/year) intrusion in the northern rhumbs as compared to the relative stability of the Northern Caucasus microplate (0–6 mm/year). This, in turn, is a reflection of the ongoing pseudosubduction regime (continental subduction or S-subduction) at the band of collision junction of these microplates. It is suggested that this process caused historically observed seismic activity in the study area, wherein the earthquakes occurred mainly in the southern slope’s accretionary prism area and the adjacent strip of the Southern Caucasus microplate. In this article, we analyze and correlate the whole range of seismic events that occurred in the study area until 2017 and the focal mechanisms of the recently recorded earthquakes (2012–2016). It is established that earthquake foci are confined either to the intersection nodes of variously trending ruptures with the faults of different directions or to the planes of deep tectonic ruptures and lateral displacements along the unstable contacts between the material complexes with different competence. The focal mechanisms of seismic events reveal various, mostly near-vertical, planes of normal and strike-slip faults. However, the earthquake foci are generally confined to the intersection nodes between the Caucasus and anti-Caucasus-striking rupture dislocations. The results of our studies are interesting in terms of their real-time application for drawing a regional summary of causes for both geodynamic and seismic activity of the Greater Caucasus system and the adjacent areas of Alpine-Himalayan fold belt.


2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamad Khir Abdul-Wahed ◽  
Jamal Asfahani

This contribution is an attempt to enlarge the current knowledge about the recent instrumental seismicity, recorded during the period 1995- 2012 by the Syrian national seismological network, as well as the seismotectonic settings in Syria. The recent instrumental seismicity has shown that the earthquake activity has produced a little number of low magnitude events. Consequently, it indicates that this activity is actually passing through a relative quiescence in comparison with the historical seismicity. The correlation between the instrumental seismicity and the seismotectonic features was performed by analyzing spatial distributions of seismic events and focal mechanisms of some strongest events. The current results, allow observing many types of the seismic activity as follows: Swarm-type, Cluster- type, and Occasional-type, which could improve the understanding of the behavior of the seismically active faults. The long return periods of large earthquakes (M?5) and the shortness of instrumental seismicity, prevent us to completely characterize the seismic activity and to discover all the active faults in the country.


Author(s):  
V. Melnikova ◽  
N. Gileva ◽  
A. Filippova ◽  
Ya. Radziminovich ◽  
E. Kobeleva

We consider the character of the seismic process in the Baikal and Transbaikalia regions in 2015. 36430 earthquakes with KR≥3 were recorded by seismic stations of permanent and temporary networks during the year due to the sharp increase of a number of seismic events at the north-east of the study region in the area of the large Muyakan seismic activation. 53 earthquakes were felt in the cities, towns and local settlements with an intensity not exceeding 6. The largest Tallaysk earthquake (KR=14.0, Mw=5.1) occurred at the North-Muya Ridge and was followed by few aftershocks. Focal mechanisms were determined for 118 seismic events from P-wave first-arrival polarities and based on seismic moment tensors inverted from the surface wave data. It has been found, that normal faults are realized in the sources of 49 % of earthquakes with the obtained focal mechanisms.


Author(s):  
Michel Bouchon ◽  
Hayrullah Karabulut ◽  
Mustafa Aktar ◽  
Serdar Özalaybey ◽  
Jean Schmittbuhl ◽  
...  

Summary In spite of growing evidence that many earthquakes are preceded by increased seismic activity, the nature of this activity is still poorly understood. Is it the result of a mostly random process related to the natural tendency of seismic events to cluster in time and space, in which case there is little hope to ever predict earthquakes? Or is it the sign that a physical process that will lead to the impending rupture has begun, in which case we should attempt to identify this process. With this aim we take a further look at the nucleation of two of the best recorded and documented strike-slip earthquakes to date, the 1999 Izmit and Düzce earthquakes which ruptured the North Anatolian Fault over ∼200 km. We show the existence of a remarkable mechanical logic linking together nucleation characteristics, stress loading, fault geometry and rupture speed. In both earthquakes the observations point to slow aseismic slip occurring near the ductile-to-brittle transition zone as the motor of their nucleation.


1969 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1095-1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerhard H. Eisbacher

The east-trending Cobequid Fault separates pre-Carboniferous rocks of the Cobequid Mountains to the north from Carboniferous clastic rocks along the southern flank of the mountains. A detailed study of the fault zone revealed tie predominance of right-lateral displacements. The orientation of the stress field that existed during deformation along the fault trace was determined by the study of systematic fractures in pebbles within Carboniferous conglomerate. Maximum compressive stress was aligned in a NW–SE direction, being compatible with the orientation of the displacement vectors in the fault zone. Transcurrent movement along the Cobequid Fault occurred in late Pennsylvanian time and involved both Carboniferous and pre-Carboniferous rocks; total displacement is unknown.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eshaan Srivastava ◽  
Nicolò Parrino ◽  
Javed Malik ◽  
Fabrizio Pepe ◽  
Pierfrancesco Burrato

<p>The Kachchh region (NW India), a pericratonic rift basin delimited by E-W trending major thrust faults, is a Low Strain Rate region[PB1] . In this area, the tectonic forcing magnitude is stronger enough to trigger infrequent significant earthquakes but not enough to overprint the climatic forcing signature. As a consequence, the active faults sources of the largest seismic events are largely poorly known and their geomorphic signature is subdued. </p><p>Instrumental and paleoseismological evidence highlights that the eastern part of Kachchh experienced a significant number of seismic events such as the 1819-06-16 Allah Bund earthquake (Mw 7.8, also known as the Rann of Kutch earthquake), the 1956-07-21 Anjar earthquake (Mw 6.1), the 2001-01-26 Bhuj earthquake (Mw 7.6) and the 2006 events (Mw 5.0 and 5.6 earthquake occurred along Island Belt Fault and Gedi fault). </p><p>In this region, the unavailability of useful outcrop information due to a significant climatic overprinting of the fault’s morphological signatures hampers the detection and parametrization of actively deforming faults.</p><p>For this reason, in this ongoing work, we propose a multidisciplinary approach, aimed at detecting active geological structures and their related [PB2] surface deformation, which mainly consists of quantitative tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismological analyses and structural interpretation and modelling. Preliminary results are a morphotectonic evolution model and 3D fault model of the study area. Finally, we stress the concept that only a multidisciplinary approach could provide useful information to understand better the highly debated active tectonic framework of the study area.</p>


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