Observations of Tilt Deformations in Moscow during the November 12, 2017, Earthquake at the Iran–Iraq Boundary

Doklady Earth Sciences - A residual tilt after a teleseismic earthquake is described in this work. The results of static and dynamic modeling of this event fit the measured values. The conditions...     

Post-seismic motions after the 2006–2007 Simushir earthquakes at different stages of the seismic cycle

Doklady Earth Sciences - We analyzed long-term satellite geodesic observations after the Simushir earthquakes of 2006–2007. Application of a key model of the structure of the island arc...     

Seismotectonic deformations related to the 2010 Maule earthquake at different stages of the seismic cycle from satellite geodetic observations

Doklady Earth Sciences - The interpretation of multiannual satellite geodetic observations after the 2010 Maule earthquake is given on the basis of the keyboard concept of the subduction region...     

The new GPS evidence for the region of Bering microplate

The question concerning the integrity of major tectonic plates is still unclear for several regions covering the plate junction zones. The Northeast Asia is one such region, where there is no common concept of the configuration of plate boundaries. From the classical viewpoint, the dynamics of Northeast Asia is determined by the superposition of the relative rotations of the three major plates (Eurasian, North American and Pacific). According to the alternative viewpoint, the fragments that were split from these plates rotate independently in the form of microplates (Bering, Okhotsk, and Amur). The analysis of kinematics for the GPS stations located in eastern Chukotka, western Alaska, and on the Bering Sea islands suggests the existence of the Bering microplate rotating clockwise relative to the North American plate.     

Ionospheric response to submarine earthquake of March 11, 2011, in Japan according to GPS observations

Using available Russian and international Global Positioning System (GPS) network data, we studied the ionospheric response to the M = 8.9 submarine earthquake of March 11, 2011, on the northeastern coast of Honshu Island, Japan, both near and far (about 2000 km away) from the epicenter. In the region over the epicenter, 8.7 min after the event, we detected a characteristic signal of the total electron content (TEC) variations consisting of compression and rarefaction phases and a linear transition zone in between, i.e., in the form of an N-type wave with a steep leading front indicating a rapid uplift of the water surface and, correspondingly, the bottom of the ocean. The shape of the signal can be used for early tsunami warning; i.e., it may indicate the tsunamigenic character of a submarine earthquake. We monitored the subsequent evolution of the ionospheric response as far as 2000 km from the epicenter. It was shown that, besides the wellknown ionospheric N-type wave response to the earthquake, there is also a response in the form of an inverted N-wave, both nearby and far from the epicenter. We detected two more types of ionospheric responses far from the epicenter: a solitary-like wave and an internal gravity wave (IGW). The detected signals have been interpreted.     

Cyclic variations in the Earth’s flattening and questions of seismotectonics

For more than a decade, the global network of GPS stations whose measurements are part of the International GPS Service (IGS) have been recording cyclic variations in the radius vector of the geodetic ellipsoid with a period of one year and amplitude of ~10 mm. The analysis of the figure of the Earth carried out by us shows that the observed variations in the vertical component of the Earth’s surface displacements can induce small changes in the flattening of the Earth’s figure which are, in turn, caused by the instability of the Earth’s rotation. The variations in the angular velocity and flattening of the Earth change the kinetic energy of the Earth’s rotation. The additional energy is ~10²¹ J. The emerging variations in the flattening of the Earth’s ellipsoid lead to changes in the surface area of the Earth’s figure, cause the development of deformations in rocks, accumulation of damage, activation of seismotectonic processes, and preparation of earthquakes. It is shown that earthquakes can be caused by the instability of the Earth’s rotation which induces pulsations in the shape of the Earth and leads to the development of alternating-sign deformations in the Earth’s solid shell.     

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...     

Analysis of Current Movements and Deformations of the Earth’s Crust in Fennoscandia from GNSS Data

Izvestiya, Physics of the Solid Earth - Abstract—An analysis of the displacement rates of GNSS points indicates that the values of current deformations gradually decrease from the center of...     

Crustal Strains in the Ossetian Region of the Greater Caucasus Based on GNSS Measurements

Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics - Based on long-term observations over the Ossetian regional GNSS network, which currently consists of 59 compaign sites and 7 stations, estimates of the...