Structural and geological characteristics of a “seismic gap” in the central part of the Kuril Island Arc

The results of the cruise of R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrentiev conducted by the Pacific Institute of Oceanology, Far East Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences in August to September 2005 are considered. The aim of the works was to specify the tectonic structure, seismogenic potential, and tsunamigenic hazard of the central segment of the Kuril Island Arc. The complex studies involved single-channel seismic profiling, gravimetry, magnetometry, detailed bathymetry, dredge sampling of sea-floor rocks and sediments, and gas geochemistry. Geophysical and geological data are reported. It was demonstrated that the target area is an active tectonic destruction zone, the zone boundaries were outlined, and the main internal structural and compositional heterogeneities were identified.     

Structure of the earth''s crust on the territory of the U.S.S.R.

The compilation of statistical data for 269 seismic crustal sections (total length: 81,000 km) which are available in the U.S.S.R. has shown that the preliminary conclusions drawn on relations between the elevation of the surface relief and Bouguer anomalies on one hand and crustal thickness (depth to the M-discontinuity) on the other hand are not fulfilled for the continental part of the U.S.S.R. The level of isostatic compensation has been found to be much deeper than the base of the earth's crust due to density inhomogeneities of the crust and upper mantle down to a depth of 150 km.

The results of seismic investigations have revealed a great diversity of relations between shallow geological and deep crustal structures:

Changes in the relief of the M-discontinuity have been found within the ancient platforms which are conformable with the Precambrian structures and which can exceed 20 km. In the North Caspian syneclise, extended areas devoid of the “granitic” layer have been discovered for the first time in continents. The crust was found to be thicker in the syneclises and anteclises of the Turanian EpiHercynian plate. In the West Siberian platforms these relations are reversed to a great extent.

Substantial differences in crustal structure and thickness were found in the crust of the Palaeo zoides and Mesozoides. Regions of substantial neotectonic activity in the Tien-Shan Palaeozoides do not greatly differ in crustal thickness if compared to the Kazakhstan Palaeozoides which were little active in Cenozoic time. The same is true for the South Siberian Palaeozoides.

The Alpides of the southern areas in the U.S.S.R. display a sharply differing surface relief and a strongly varying crustal structure. Mountains with roots (Greater Caucasus, Crimea) and without roots (Kopet-Dagh, Lesser Caucasus) were found there.

The Cenozoides of the Far East are characterized by a rugged topography of the M-discontinuity, a thinner crust and a less-pronounced “granitic” layer. A relatively small thickness of the crust was discovered in the Baikal rift zone.

The effective thickness of the magnetized domains of the crust as well as other calculations show that the temperature at the depth of the M-discontinuity (i.e., at depths of 40–50 km) is not higher than 300–400° C for most parts of the U.S.S.R.     

Crustal structure of the Barents Sea from seismic data

In 1976, the Institute of Physics of the Earth and the Institute of Oceanology, the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, carried out deep seismic soundings in the Barents Sea along a profile 700 km long northeast of Murmansk. A system of reversed and overlapping traveltime curves from 200 to 400 km long has been obtained. The wave correlation was effected by several independent approaches, which identified on the records the refracted and reflected waves from boundaries in the Earth's crust and the upper mantle. Different methods were applied for the solution of the inverse problem: the isochrone method, the intercept-time method, and the iteration method.The use of these different methods gives an indication of the general applicability of the interpretation and of the most reliable elements in the seismic model.All the interpretations and representations of the section positively establish an essentially horizontal inhomogeneity of the Earth's crust in the Barents Sea. On the whole the structure is similar to that of deep sedimentary basins of the East European platform. The thickness of the sedimentary layer varies from 8 to 17 km, the average crustal thickness is about 35–40 km; the velocities in the upper part of the consolidated crust are 5.8–6.4 km/s; in the lower crust they are 6.8–7.0 km/s and higher.     

Deep structures in the Maritime Territory-Sea of Japan continental margin from seismic data

This paper discusses the results of interpreting seismic profiles on the Earth’s crust of the Maritime Territory and Sea of Japan performed during the 20th century by the Sakhalin Integrated Research Institute and by the Schmidt Joint Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. The seismic profiles confirmed the presence of structural features under the Maritime Territory and the Sea of Japan that were revealed previously from geological data, such as spreading zones, rifts, deep-seated faults, overthrusts, and subduction zones, suggesting an active type of continental margin in the Far East region. We assumed that a high occurrence of the asthenospheric layer enclosing magmatic chambers explains the high activity of tectonic processes in the Far Eastern continental margin. The identified system of rifts and spreading centers supports this assumption.     

The seismoelectric effect based on the data of measurements at the Mikhnevo Geophysical Observatory

The results of analysis of synchronous instrumental observations of seismic oscillations and the intensity of the electric field at the Earth’s surface under the conditions of the mid-latitude Mikhnevo Geophysical Observatory of the Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences (IGD RAS) are presented. The results provide evidence that the seismoelectric effect exists in the influence zone of the deep tectonic structure, which is clearly seen in the records when strong perturbations caused by other electric field sources do not exist (propagation of atmospheric fronts, thunderstorm events, formation of eddy structures in the atmosphere, etc.). For the first time, a quantitative relation between the amplitudes of the seismic and induced electric signals under specific conditions was obtained.     

Crustal investigations of the U.S.S.R. by means of earthquake-generated converted waves

The method of earthquake-generated converted waves which is based on the simultaneous recording of longitudinal (P), transverse (S) and converted (PS and SP) waves has been used in the U.S.S.R. since 1956. Converted phases generated at crustal and upper-mantle discontinuities in the seismic focal area are carefully analyzed. In this paper some dynamic characteristics of transmitted PS- and SP-waves arising at different types of boundaries are described.

From a comparison of the properties of the recorded converted waves with the results of theoretical computations conclusions can be drawn with regard to the possible structure of the “exchange” (conversion) boundaries. Seismic cross-sections are presented which illustrate the high effectiveness of the method in regional investigations of crustal structure. Owing to its significance and the multitude of observations (over 22,000 km of observation lines) the method is one of the principal seismic techniques used in the U.S.S.R. which give quantitative information on crustal layering.     

New data on the structure of the Knipovich Ridge,North Atlantic

The Knipovich Ridge extends for 550–600 km between the Mohns Ridge and the demarcation Spitsbergen Fracture Zone. The structural features of this ridge are repeatedly mentioned in the literature; however, substantial discrepancies remain in the treatment of its tectonics. New data on the structure of this ridge presented in this paper are based on the results of continuous seismic profiling in the area studied by the expedition of the Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate on the R/V Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov in 2006; 56 seismic lines allow us to depict zones differing in seismic records that provide insights into their internal tectonic structure. Interpretation of the seismic data makes it possible to compile maps of the acoustic basement surface and sedimentary cover thickness in the studied area. These maps expand our knowledge of the geological history and geodynamics of the Knipovich Ridge at the neotectonic stage of its evolution.     

Commemorative biography of Academician Ivan Ivanovich Shmal'gauzen (Schmalhausen)

Ivan Ivanovich Shmal'gauzen (1884-1963) taught at the Universities of Yur'yev, Voronezh, and Kiev. He served as Director of the Institute of Zoology and Biology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and later, as Director of the Institute of Evolutionary Morphology of the U. S. S. R. Academy of Sciences. In 1939 he organized the Department of Darwinism at Moscow University. His research can be divided into four periods: evolution of vertebrate limbs and of the unpaired fins of fishes (1905-1922); experimental work on morphogene-Sis and growth (1923-1936); evolutionary theory, with emphasis on rate of evolution (1936-1948); and origin of land vertebrates, based in part on studies of amphibian embryology (1949-1963). — F. C. Whitmore, Jr.     

METHODS OF EXTRACTING SPORES AND POLLEN FROM OILS AND THE WATERS OF OIL DEPOSITS

Previously employed methods of extracting spores and pollen from oil deposits are discussed. A new technique, developed at the Oil Institute of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences, is described. The process involves filtration of oil samples through quartz sand, chemical removal of oils and paraffin from the sand filter, and separation of the organic residue by suspension. The residue is then treated with acids, and heavy minerals and clay are removed with cadmium liquid. -- S. H. Mamay.     

Local Occurrence of the Relationship between Variations in the Earth’s Rotation Rate and the Dynamics of Seismicity: Case Study of Sakhalin

Doklady Earth Sciences - On the basis of three methods, the current seismic situation in the zone of the Central Sakhalin Fault is assessed and the scenarios of its development are predicted. It is...     

THICKNESS OF THE CRUST AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO RELIEF AND GRAVITY ANOMALIES

The effect of different crustal thickness on a regional gravity field may be differentiated, as a first approximation, into-three layers: 1) sedimentary, 2) granitic, and 3) basaltic. The study of complex “wave pictures” obtained in deep seismic sounding has lead to differentiation of the crust as continental, oceanic, and transitional, with a general relationship existing between the surface tectonics of the crust and its deeper structures. The crust is thickest in the mountain regions (40 km-80 km) as against an average for the platforms of about 25 km-35 km. It appears that there are two particularly conspicuous gravity and seismic discontinuities in the crust; one between the sedimentary mantle and the so-called crystalline layer and the other between the latter and the M surface. Tentative estimations of crustal thickness are as follows: the Russian Platform and the north of the western Siberian Platform; 30 km-34 km; the Black Sea about 24 km; the entire south, southeast and east of the U. S. S. R. are marked by greater depth with the Pamirs having a thickness of over 70 km; in the Caucasus the M surface lies below 45 km; in the Northern Kazakhstan the crust is 34 km-36 km thick; in the Altay thickness of around 50 km are indicated; in the Eurasian continent, Tibet has the thickest crust, the gravity minimum indicating about 85 km; in the Verkoyansk region the M surface is over 43 km. Large areas of the Arctic Ocean is occupied by the shelf with a thickness similar to that in the north of the country. This suggests that a considerable stretch of the ocean adjacent to the northern shores of the U. S. S. R. has a continental type. The crust thins rapidly to the north to about 10 km. Along the Pacific coast the M surface is about 33 km, the shelf zone is rather narrow including the Sea of Okhotsk. Toward the ocean and the Kuriles the crust thins rapidly to 10 km. -- C. E. Sears.     

Development of geological research in U.S.S.R Academy of Sciences and U.S.S.R. Ministry of Geology and Mineral Reserves

On October 12, 1962, a joint session of the Presidium of the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences and the Collegium of the U.S.S.R. Ministry of Geology and Mineral Reserves adopted a resolution “On the present state of the geological sciences in the U.S.S.R. Academy of Sciences and the U. S. S. R. Ministry of Geology and Mineral Reserves and their prospects for the future.” Important contributions of Russian geologists are acknowledged, but attention is drawn to many shortcomings. Future goals of geological study and work are given in detail. Twenty-one lines of research to be concentrated on are given, covering all phases of geology, geophysics, and geochemistry. In discussing the failings of the geological profession in Russia, it is of interest to note the following comment: “Geological research in other countries is still insufficiently studied and applied, and we are not making adequate use of geologic information from abroad.” The list of the Russian geologists' shortcomings sounds vaguely familiar. —J. R. Hayes     

Active rifting in the Japan and Okhotsk seas and the tectonic evolution of the Central Sakhalin Fault zone in the Cenozoic

Large-scale geological maps available for individual areas in the Central Sakhalin Fault zone and geological-geophysical maps of Sakhalin and surrounding sea areas were analyzed to elucidate the tectonic evolution of the fault zone determined by movements of crustal blocks due to the opening of rift basins. Changes in the direction of horizontal compression in the Sakhalin fold system from diagonal (NW-SE) to near-latitudinal resulted in the transformation of near-meridional right-lateral strike-slip faults into reversed faults in the Late Miocene. This allows Sakhalin faults to be interpreted as a zone of recent right-lateral shear between Eurasian and Sea of Okhotsk plates.     

Detailed seismic zoning of Sakhalin

Detailed seismic zoning of Sakhalin based on seismological, tectonic, geomorphological, hydrogeological, and other data is discussed. It is shown that strong crustal earthquakes occurred at the boundary between the Eurasian and Okhotsk plates and their recurrence in Central Sakhalin is equal to the duration of the tectonic cycle (75 years). This boundary in North Sakhalin is marked by the Upper-Piltun fault, which was the epicenter of the 1995 Neftegorsk earthquake with an intensity of 9. The analysis of paleosoils in the fault zone showed that such events repeat with an interval of 400 years. The development of large oil and gas reservoirs on the Sakhalin shelf will be accompanied by intensification of the seismicity, which can reach a magnitude of M = 6.0–6.5 in the Lunskoye field.     

Contourites in the Derbent Basin,Caspian Sea (Geophysical Data)

Doklady Earth Sciences - A high resolution seismic survey carried out by the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences in 2004–2012 near the foot of the continental slopes...     

Deep structure and seismotectonics of the Southern Sea of Okhotsk region along a profile from southern Sakhalin to the southern Kuril Islands

The results of deep seismic profiling through Southern Sakhalin, the southern Sea of Okhotsk, and the Southern Kuril Islands allowed the identification of deep fault zones, the hypocenter locations, the features of the stress state, and the types of seismic dislocations at the earthquake sources. The east side of the fault was upthrown relative to the west side beneath the southern part of the Tatar Strait and Sakhalin Island and led, as a result of multiple thrusting events along the fault over the geologic history, to the rise and 5-8 km displacement of the seismic boundaries. The true uplift of the Greater Kuril arc block was determined using the focal mechanism solutions. The seismoctectonics and present-day dynamics of the crustal blocks were estimated using a detailed joint analysis of the position of the structural boundaries at the seismic section and the seismotectonic movements according to the earthquake focal mechanisms.     

Horizontal motions and the generation of strong earthquakes in the North Sakhalin interiors

The recent geodynamics of Sakhalin Island is best described by the convergence of the Eurasian and North American (Sea of Okhotsk) lithospheric plates, which is manifested in the high seismic activity of the island. In North Sakhalin, the plate boundary is thought to correspond to a system of roughly N-S-trending faults, which belong to the North Sakhalin deep fault, and the Upper-Piltun fault; the latter was ruptured by the 1995 M 7.2 Neftegorsk earthquake. This study first confirmed that the stationary motion of the Sea of Okhotsk plate is retarded on this fault to form with time a series of drag folds and stress field anomalies. The latter are released during the subsequent (in a 400⦒o 1000-year period) strong earthquakes by seismic sliding on the flanks of the Upper Piltun fault. The 2003–2006 GPS observations revealed the free state of this fault zone with relative slip rates of 5–6 mm/yr.     

Technogenic-tectonic earthquakes of the Dnieper–Donets aulacogen

The Mikhnevo Seismic Group of the Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences (IGD RAS), and the Malin mini-group in the region of the Dnieper–Donets aulacogen, within which prospecting and mountain-explosion works were carried out from 2007 to 2015 on industrial scales, recorded a series of seismic events. Special attention has been focused on analysis of the nature of three earthquakes in 2015. Application of the spectral discrimination method log(Pg/Lg) and cross-correlation tools allowed us to identify the seismic events in 2015 as a special technogenic-tectonic type.     

中国地质科学院2013年度十大科技进展揭晓

中国地质科学院所属的地质研究所、矿产资源研究所、地质力学研究所、水文地质环境地质研究所、岩溶地质研究所、地球物理地球化学勘查研究所及院机关在对其2013年度承担的总计1022个科技项目进行所级选拔择优的基础上, 于2014年1月9—10日在北京召开了中国地质科学院2013年度科技成果汇报交流暨十大科技进展评选会, 对推荐出的21项优秀科技成果进行汇报交流。来自国土资源部、教育部、中国科学院、中国地震局、中国石油化工集团公司等部门的42位院士专家组成的评选委员会, 经过认真、严谨的评审和投票, 评选出了中国地质科学院2013年度十大科技进展并逐一进行了点评。获奖成果涉及学科领域包括基础地质、矿产资源、水文地质工程地质与环境地质和技术方法, 代表了中国地质科学院的最新、最高研究水平。