On the night of October 19 last year, an earthquake occurred in the Urals. This greatly surprised not only its residents, but also seismologists, since the terrain is located in a territory that is protected from such disasters. A peat bog can catch fire here, a forest fire can happen, but not an earthquake. So what really happened? What are the causes of seismological shocks?
What happened?
An earthquake occurred in the Urals at night. The first to be felt were his pets and animals from the local zoo. They got nervous, started rushing about rooms and aviaries in search of shelters. The owners and workers of the zoos at first could not figure out the reasons for this behavior of animals.
Then tremors followed. Now the earthquake in the Urals felt the entire population. Residents of the upper floors had a particularly difficult time.
Later, the Ministry of Emergency Situations called the incident seismological tremors, but such a concept does not exist. In fact, there was an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 points. It was of natural titanic origin.
Epicenter
Laboratory staff at the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported that the epicenter of the earthquake in the Urals is located between the cities of Revda and Nyazepetrovsky. More precisely, it is located 35 km from the village of Mikhailovsk. Rescuers report that it was here that more serious injuries and consequences were observed.
Vibration is registered in many cities of the Urals, including Yekaterinburg, Pervouralsk and Novouralsk. Despite the excitement of residents, life support was not disturbed. All communications and utilities worked normally even during vibrations.
Military units also felt tremors, which did not affect the combat readiness of the local army. She continued to work as usual. Military equipment and facilities were not affected. There were no violations in the operation of the combat control, the duty forces served in the same way as usual.
Reasons for seismological tremors
What is an earthquake? These are tremors that can be located on a small area, as well as distributed over a large-scale surface. They occur when plates in the upper part of the mantle move. This is observed almost constantly in different regions of the planet. However, there are no technologies that can determine the epicenter of a new cataclysm.
The reasons for the earthquake in the Urals are due to the fact that the plates in the lithosphere move. The tension inside the earth is increasing. When it becomes difficult to maintain, the planet begins to help itself. As a result, surface shifts occur to get rid of stress. Energy is converted into kinetic, then spreads in different directions at decent distances. The latter depend on the strength of the shocks.
Are there any casualties?
The earthquake in October in the Urals in 2015 could not pass unnoticed, without injuries. There were no human casualties, but the natural disaster still left traces. For example, in the village of Novoutkinsk, as a result of seismological shocks, the kindergarten building was damaged. Glass cracked in its windows.
Also, the Kamensky reservoir was damaged. His top plate moved. After the shocks, cracks were found on it, therefore, its further use is impossible.
At the epicenter, the residents of the houses suffered, some of them cracked and broke the dishes, and cracks went on the glass.
Specialists were involved in troubleshooting and helping the victims. Some work continues to this day.
In case of potential threats, experts report that residents of brick houses will have worse than panel houses if a catastrophe of stronger magnitude occurs.
Forecasts and expectations
Unfortunately, the causes of the earthquake in the Urals are almost always the same. Disasters are of natural origin. Despite the modern development of technology, the improvement of seismological instruments and techniques, it is impossible to accurately predict new shocks. There are several reasons for this. But the main one is that it is impossible to predict when the next time the titanic plate begins to move, there are no visible patterns.
As for expectations, some experts predict an earthquake recurrence with a similar force (or higher) in 2030. However, of course, no one gives a full guarantee.
Earthquake forces
There are several ways in which the power of a disaster is determined. In Russia, the Mercalli scale is used. In accordance with it, the magnitude of earthquakes in the Urals usually does not exceed 6-7 points. For comparison, you need to familiarize yourself with all the points presented in the scale:
- 1 - inconspicuous incident, which is visible only on the devices;
- 2 - tremors palpable for sensitive animals;
- 3 - noticeable only in tall buildings;
- 4 - there is a trembling of doors and windows;
- 5 - damage to repairs and property is possible;
- 6 - slight damage to buildings;
- 7 - serious damage to buildings is observed;
- 8 - large violations in the bearing walls of houses, if tremors occur in the mountainous area, then mudflows go;
- 9 - buildings collapse, cracks appear in the ground;
- 10 - damage to buildings occurs very quickly, residents of houses will not have time to react;
- 11 - even the most resistant buildings are destroyed, cracks on the earth appear with great breadth;
- 12 - the maximum score, the relief changes, the consequences are catastrophic.
Since in the entire history of the Urals there have been no tremors above 7 points, then its residents should not be afraid for the consequences of this natural disaster. But again, no specialist can give a 100% guarantee.
How often can earthquakes be observed in the Urals?
In fact, a small earthquake in the Urals can be observed almost every 2-3 years, or even more often. However, the strength of the shocks is so minimal that most residents simply do not notice them. The most significant and sensitive natural disasters in the Urals were few. At the beginning of 1995, vibrations were observed with a force of 4.7 points.
In August 2002, new unique tremors take place. Then the epicenter of the earthquake in the Urals was deep underground, next to Zlatoust.
In 2010, there were tremors in the Sverdlovsk region, the magnitude of which was 4 points.
And the last major earthquake occurred in 2015, in October. His strength was not equivalent, different settlements felt different vibrations. In general, magnitude can be identified in the range of 4.5-5.5 points.
Based on the observations of seismologists, tremors are most often observed in the Sverdlovsk region. Therefore, its residents are advised to familiarize themselves with TB and the rules of conduct as a result of relevant natural disasters.
