Earthquakes in Russia are a fairly common phenomenon. Of course, for residents of megacities and the central zone this is rather an unfamiliar concept, but in other areas, in cities, events are held annually to help people react correctly in the event of such a disaster. For example, in Tuva, an earthquake of magnitude 3.2 occurred at the end of 2011, and to this day, seismic activity in this area has not stopped.
Residents of the city are familiar with the safety technique and know very well how to behave in such situations, but this does not detract from the constant stress that the population experiences, fearing for their lives and the safety of their loved ones.
What is an earthquake?
Speaking in plain language, these are oscillations of the Earth's surface, which are mainly caused by the natural forces of nature. We will not consider such artificial stimuli as large explosions and other technical processes.
Earthquakes occupy a leading position in their destructiveness. In the history of mankind there are many examples of the destructive power of nature. Billions of victims around the world and the consequences that completely violated the entire infrastructure of cities and even entire countries. Earthquakes in Russia usually occur in highlands, at the junction of tectonic plates. The leaders in the ranking of victims of such disasters, of course, can be identified Kamchatka, Altai, the Caucasus and Eastern Siberia. Of course, this is not the whole list of settlements prone to tremors. In some cities, seismic activity is periodically observed, but for residents these phenomena remain invisible.
The epicenter of the earthquake is considered to be the surface of the Earth, which is closest to the center of the natural phenomenon.
Types of Earthquakes
Today, experts distinguish three types of earthquakes:
- Volcanic - volcanic eruptions.
- Artificial earthquakes are violent explosions that cause shifts of underground slabs.
- Technogenic - tremors that are caused by the processes of human life.
How is an earthquake measured
Tremors are measured by a special instrument - a seismograph, which with extreme accuracy not only measures the power of tremors, but also predicts how strong the displacement of the tectonic plates will be.
There is a generally accepted world scale, which consists of 12 points:
- 1 point. An almost imperceptible earthquake, as the oscillation of the soil is a minimum that cannot be felt.
- 2 points. A rather weak phenomenon that can be felt only in a calm environment. Only some people are able to feel it.
- 3 points. A weak earthquake, manifested by fluctuations that are more noticeable to others.
- 4 points. A moderate phenomenon, noticeable to all people.
- 5 points. A sufficiently strong earthquake provoking the movement of objects in the room.
- 6 points (strong). From fairly strong shocks, buildings can be slightly damaged.
- 7 points. Very strong earthquake, causing more severe damage to buildings.
- 8 points. A destructive phenomenon that can destroy even the most powerful structures.
- 9 points. A devastating earthquake. In the mountains, severe collapses occur, and people in cities can not stand on their feet.
- 10 points. Destructive earthquakes can lead to the complete destruction of a settlement, ruining everything in its path, including roads and all kinds of communications.
- 11 points. Catastrophe.
- 12 points. A severe disaster, which is impossible to survive. The relief changes completely, the strongest splits are observed, huge depressions, craters and much more appear.
Earthquake causes
Major earthquakes in Russia and in other countries of the world occur due to a collision of lithospheric plates. For example, in the Caucasus there is an Arabian plate, which gradually moves northward towards the Eurasian plate, which, in turn, periodically collides with the Pacific plate located in Kamchatka. Speaking of the Kamchatka Territory, volcanic activity, during which quite strong shocks are observed, also affects earthquakes in this area.
Earthquake Signs
Throughout the history of such phenomena, scientists have been able to identify the main signs of a catastrophe beginning. Earthquakes in Russia usually started after the following things:
- Residents of cities affected by the disaster have repeatedly indicated that some time before the tremors they could smell a strong smell of gas, although this had not been observed before in this area.
- It has also been repeatedly pointed out that domestic animals begin to behave uneasily, and that birds on the street show excessive liveliness.
- Some eyewitnesses and victims claim that a few hours before the earthquake, they observed the sparking of electrical wires.
What earthquakes were in Russia
Russia has repeatedly suffered from natural disasters, including severe earthquakes. The landscape of our country is large and diverse, as are the climatic zones. Seismically active sites are located mainly on the territory of Sakhalin and the Kamchatka Territory.
Sakhalin
On May 28, 1995, the village of Neftegorsk was destroyed on Sakhalin. On a scale, the power of the elements amounted to 7.5 points and 10 points at the epicenter of the earthquake. In a matter of hours, Sakhalin Neftegorsk, which at that time had 3, 200 inhabitants, was simply erased from the surface of the earth. After the disaster, only 400 people survived, 150 of whom subsequently died in hospitals from injuries. This is the last earthquake in Russia of such power, which has truly become the most tragic event not only for Sakhalin, but for the whole country.
As eyewitnesses recalled later, the real horror was not during the earthquake itself, but after. Many victims were buried under the ruins of their own homes and gradually suffocated in heavy anguish.
The surviving residents of the village left for the mainland and tried to start life "after the earthquake." This disaster has become the strongest over the past 100 years. In the last century, in 1952, a tsunami occurred on Sakhalin caused by an earthquake in the Pacific Ocean that demolished the city of Severo-Kurilsk.
On May 25, 2013, an earthquake of 4 points again occurred on Sakhalin.
Kamchatka
Earthquakes in Russia mostly occur in the Kamchatka Territory. In the center of the Klyuchevskaya group of volcanoes is Bezymyannaya Sopka with a height of 3085 meters. It was she who was always considered a long extinct volcano, so the earthquake that began in the morning of 1955 was a complete surprise.
The volcanic station Klyuchi, located 45 kilometers from the volcanoes, recorded huge puffs of white smoke. A few days later, the height of volcanic emissions was already more than eight kilometers.
Throughout November, residents of the region observed heavy lightning strikes, and the surface of the earth was completely covered with ash. In less than 29 days, the volcano crater expanded by 550 meters. Unfortunately, this was only preparation for the disaster that occurred on March 30, 1956. Such earthquakes in Russia were not new, so no one was evacuated in the hope that the awakened volcano would subside, especially after its activity decreased in late November.
In 1956, the pressure in the volcano reached a critical point. Within 15 minutes, the giant erupted a huge pillar of fire, which leaned to the east at an angle of 30 degrees. Reaching a height of 24 kilometers, this pillar of fire and black smoke literally covered the sky. 20 kilometers from the volcano, the trees were either uprooted or burned with lightning speed. The thickness of hot sand and lava falling from the sky made the snow melt quickly. The most powerful mud streams rushed down, dragging fragments of rocks and stones, taking down everything in its path.
The base of volcanologists was literally wiped off the face of the earth, fortunately, scientists at that time were not there. Professor Gorshkov said that if this stream rushed in a different direction, the entire populated area would be destroyed and would go into the saddest examples of earthquakes in Russia.
Kamchatka is the most dangerous region, not even because a large number of volcanoes are located on its territory, but because in the event of a disaster, most residents will literally remain locked in the mountains.
Tuva
In 2012, an earthquake with a power of 3.2 points was recorded near Kyzyl. This phenomenon began at 7:30 in the morning. Since the elements were not so strong, there were no casualties.
The statistics of earthquakes in Russia includes a phenomenon that occurred in the same region on December 27, 2011, when its capacity was 9.5 points at the epicenter and 6.7 in other areas. Seismic activity persisted until the end of February 2012, when a magnitude 6.5 shock occurred. Fortunately, the epicenter was located at a distance of more than 100 kilometers from settlements. Nevertheless, tremors were felt in the territory of Buryatia, the Irkutsk region, as well as in Khakassia and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The earthquake map in Russia contains all the main regions most susceptible to seismic activity, including Kyzyl.
In addition, specialists monthly update all data. Rocks are sampled and carefully studied. Based on these studies, volcanologists can roughly predict in which areas such phenomena are possible.
What to do during the earthquake in Russia
At the first sign of an earthquake, you need to go outside as soon as possible. If tremors occur every 15-20 seconds, try to move in intervals when shaking decreases.
If you live in a multi-storey building, you should not use the elevator, as there is a risk that communications are already broken. Therefore, it is better to stay farther from the cabinets and windows and stand in the doorway until you can leave the apartment.
If you are on the street at the time of the earthquake, try to stay as far away as possible from buildings, billboards and trees. Major earthquakes in Russia usually completely destroy buildings and carry pieces of concrete slabs throughout the neighborhood. Moving by car is not recommended, since the asphalt breaks in the first place and unexpectedly, so you just do not have time to physically get out of the car if you get to the fault site.
Keep calm and do not panic, the more cool you are, the greater the chances of survival.
It is better to always keep all the necessary documents at hand so that in case of any disaster or fire you can leave the house with a passport, this will avoid further red tape with documents.
