Cycles of seismic activity in the second half of the holocene in the Western Caucasus and their correlation with stages of civilization development: A case study of the upper reach of the Mzymta River

The results of comprehensive research into the area of the upper reach of the Mzymta River (Western Caucasus) are presented. The evidence of strong earthquakes that struck the study area throughout history is studied. The periods when mud flows and rockslides associated with the earthquakes are identified to fall between 3100–4000 and 700–1200 years ago. Paleoseismological results are correlated to the results of archeological excavations. As a result, it is revealed that the periods of tectonic disasters coincided with the onsets of the period when the area was uninhabited (abandoned) by people. The results of the present comprehensive research provide additional information to specify the seismic hazard and the chronology of human habitation in the region.     

Traces of Seismic Activity in Architectural Monuments in Derbent,Dagestan

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - As a result of studies conducted in the city of Derbent, it is established that its monumental fortification structures erected at the end of the 560s...     

New findings on the sources of strong earthquakes in Kerch Peninsula based on paleoseismological data

This paper presents the results of the recent paleoseismological studies covering the entire Kerch Peninsula. The Yuzhnoberezhnaya fold-and-thrust belt extending along the southern coast of Crimea in the Black Sea was earlier considered the principal seismogenic structure. Our findings suggest that the seismic hazard on the Kerch Peninsula is largely related to potential strong onshore earthquake sources. The observed discrepancy between instrumental and paleoseismological data suggests that seismic quiescence exists in this region at present.     

Underestimated Seismic Hazard of the Ferghana Depression: New Archeoseismological Data

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The results of archeoseismological investigations carried out for the first time at the Eylatan and Kuyul’tepe ancient settlements in the Ferghana...     

Strong Paleoearthquakes along the Aksuu Border Fault according to the Results of Dating the Offset Terrace Complex of the Chon-Aksuu River,Northern Tien Shan

The study and radiocarbon dating of the low alluvial terraces of the Chon-Aksuu River, in the Northern Issyk-Kul region, which were broken by the Kebin (Kemin) earthquake of 1911 (Ms = 8.2, Io = 10 to 11), are carried out. The obtained radiocarbon dated ages refer to the second half of the Holocene. Since that time, at least eight strong earthquakes took place along this (Chon-Aksuu) segment of the Aksuu border fault. Three seismic events, including the earthquake of 1911 occurred in the second millennium A.D. This outburst of seismic energy was preceded by two millennia of seismic quiescence, which set in after another pulse of seismic activation. The latter lasted for 1.5 millennia and included five strong earthquakes. The recurrence period of seismic events during the activations is 300–600 years. Hence, the seismic regime along the Chon–Aksuu segment of the Aksuu border fault in the second half of the Holocene was a succession of two seismic activations, each with a duration of 1.0–1.5 ka, which were separated by a 2-ka interval of seismic quiescence. Therefore, the absolute datings of the river terraces of different ages which have been broken by a seismogenic rupture can serve as a reliable source of information about the age of the strong earthquakes that occurred along the seismogenic fault.     

Archeoseismological study in Salachik,the ancient capital of Crimean Khans

Archeological, archeoseismological, and seismotectonic studies were carried out in Salachik, the ancient capital of the Crimean Khans, on the outskirts of the modern city of Bakhchysarai, Crimea. The following damage and deformations of medieval buildings were observed: tilted building walls, shifted elements of building structures, rotation of fragments of walls and building blocks around the vertical axis, considerable deformations of arch structures, and fissures running through several rows of building blocks. These deformations are of a seismogenic nature. Traces of at least two strong ancient earthquakes were revealed in the medieval monuments of Salachik. Based on analysis of kinematic indicators, it is found that the maximum seismic intensity (VIII ≤ I ₀ ≤ IX points) was due to an earthquake occurred in the west. Based on historical seismologic data, one of the two earthquakes is dated by April 30, 1698. Also, structural damage to buildings in Salachik was caused by Crimean earthquakes in 1927. The findings can be used for a comprehensive assessment of seismic hazards on the Crimean Peninsula.     

On traces of a strong earthquake in walls of the Sary-Bulun medieval sites along the great silk route (western Issyk-Kul Lake region,Northern Tien Shan)

The Sary-Bulun archeological sites located along the Great Silk Route of medieval times are studied. The study revealed a number of the deformations of seismogenic origin: tilts, shifts, and collapse and lateral bends of walls as well as long fissures in corner parts of the rooms. Judging by archeological artifacts, the seismic event occurred at the end of the 12th–beginning of the 13th century AD. Judging by degree of damage, the intensity of this ancient earthquake was I ≥ VIII on the MSK-64. The source of the seismic oscillations was apparently located in the faults cutting the active Boz-Barmak anticline. The studied archeological sites are located on the western limb of this anticline structure. In the medieval period, the Sary-Bulun settlements were the largest metallurgic centers of the Issyk-Kul depression and, thus, they are of a great significance for studying industrial processes of that time.     

Contemporary Tectonic Movements of the Western Caucasus and the Ciscaucasia Based on Satellite-Geodetic Observations

Geotectonics - The paper presents the velocity field of the Western Caucasus and Ciscaucasia based on GNSS observations. In the ITRF2014 reference frame, this field shows the coordinated movement...     

Strong Earthquakes on the Southern Slope of the Kungei Ala-Too Range,Northern Tien Shan,and Their Structural Position in the Earth’s Crust

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - The morphostructures and paleoseismicity of the southern slope of the Kungei Ala-Too Range (Northern Tien Shan) have been studied. It has been found...