The problem of the mechanism of deformation of the crust and upper mantle

A tectonic interpretation of data on the mechanism of earthquake foci enables us to clarify the mechanism of deformation of the earth's crust and upper mantle. The association between the stressed state and the physicomechanical properties of the deformed material ts emphasized. The source of the tectonic deformations is considered to be gravitational differentiation of material of the deep parts of the mantle. —Authors.