Earthquakes are a terrible natural phenomenon that can bring numerous troubles. They are associated not only with destruction, because of which there may be human casualties. The catastrophic tsunami waves caused by them can lead to even more disastrous consequences.
For which areas of the globe are earthquakes the most dangerous? To answer this question you need to see where the active seismic areas are. These are zones of the earth's crust, which are more mobile than the surrounding regions. They are located on the boundaries of lithospheric plates, where large blocks of the earth's crust collide or move apart. It is the shifts of powerful strata of rocks that cause earthquakes.
Dangerous areas of the world
Several belts stand out on the globe, which are characterized by a high frequency of underground strikes. These are seismically dangerous areas.
The first of them is called the Pacific Ring, since it occupies almost the entire coast of the ocean. Not only earthquakes, but also volcanic eruptions are frequent here, so the name "volcanic" or "ring of fire" is often used. The activity of the earth's crust here is determined by modern mountain-building processes.
The second major seismic belt stretches along the high young mountains of Eurasia from the Alps and other mountains of Southern Europe to the Sunda Islands through Asia Minor, the Caucasus, the mountains of Central and Central Asia and the Himalayas. There is also a collision of lithospheric plates, which causes frequent earthquakes.
A third belt stretches across the entire Atlantic Ocean. This is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which is the result of the extension of the earth's crust. Iceland, known primarily for its volcanoes, also belongs to this belt. But earthquakes here are not a rare phenomenon.
Seismically active regions of Russia
Earthquakes also occur in our country. Seismically active regions of Russia are the Caucasus, Altai, mountains of Eastern Siberia and the Far East, the Commander and Kuril Islands, about. Sakhalin. Here tremors can occur of great strength.
One can recall the Sakhalin earthquake of 1995, when two-thirds of the population of the village of Neftegorsk died under the rubble of the destroyed buildings. After carrying out rescue operations, it was decided not to restore the village, but to relocate residents to other settlements.
In 2012-2014, several earthquakes occurred in the North Caucasus. Fortunately, their foci were at great depths. There were no casualties and serious destruction.
Seismic map of Russia
The map shows that the most seismically hazardous areas lie in the south and east of the country. Moreover, the eastern parts of the territory of Russia are relatively poorly populated. But in the south, earthquakes pose much more danger to people, since here the population density is higher.
Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk and some other large cities are in danger zone. These are active seismic areas.
Anthropogenic earthquakes
Seismically active regions of Russia occupy approximately 20% of the country's territory. But this does not mean that the rest is completely immune from earthquakes. Shocks with a force of 3-4 points are noted even far from the boundaries of lithospheric plates, in the center of the platform areas.
At the same time, with the development of the economy, the possibility of anthropogenic earthquakes increases. They are most often caused by the collapse of the roof of underground voids. Because of this, the earth’s crust is shaken, as if in a real earthquake. And there are more and more voids and cavities underground, because a man for his needs extracts oil and natural gas from the bowels, pumps out water, builds mines for the extraction of solid minerals … And underground nuclear explosions are generally comparable in strength to natural earthquakes.
Collapse of rock layers in itself can be dangerous for people. Indeed, in many areas, voids form right below the settlements. Recent events in Solikamsk only confirmed this. But even a weak earthquake can lead to dire consequences, because as a result of it, structures that are in disrepair, the dilapidated housing in which people continue to live, can collapse … Also, violation of the integrity of rock layers threatens the mines themselves, where collapses can occur.
