Characteristics of the modern horizontal movements in the zones of the strong and moderate earthquakes in the beginning of the XXI century in the central sector of the Greater Caucasus according to GPS-observations and their connection with the Earth's crust neotectonics and deep structure

© 2019   E.A. Rogozhin1 *, V.K. Milyukov2, 3, A.P. Mironov2, A.N. Ovsyuchenko1,
A.V. Gorbatikov1, N.V. Andreeva1, R.N. Lukashova1, V.N. Drobyshev3, Kh.M. Khubaev3

1 Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

2 Lomonosov Moscow State University, Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow, Russia

3 Vladikavkaz Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia

Abstract. Analysis of the results of GPS-measurements made for the first time along a geodesic profile intersecting all the main geological structures in the Ossetian region of the Greater Caucasus showed that in zones of recent strong earthquakes there are significant jumps in the velocity of horizontal displacements. Interpretation of the measurement materials was performed in comparison with the results of neotectonic, seismotectonic studies and data on the deep structure. The maximum decrease in the current transverse compression velocities was recorded in the zones of the Vladikavkaz and Kakhetino-Lechkhum faults. In the zone of the Vladikavkaz fault, a center of the Khataldon earthquake appeared on May 11, 2008 with M = 4.5 and with intensity of 4 in the epicentral zone. The epicentral regions of Rachinsky 1991 with M = 7.0, as well as Dzhavsky 1991 with M = 6.2, Oniysky-I on February 6, 2006 with M = 5.0 and Oniysky-II on September 7, 2009 from M = 6.0,  had covered blocks of the upper crust within the Kakhetino-Lechkhum suture zone at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus.The previously predicted significant decrease in the rate of horizontal movements after the seismic activation in the areas of these catastrophic seismic events of 1991, 2006 and 2009 on the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus was fully confirmed.

Keywords: geodynamics, satellite geodesy, Mountain Ossetia, GPS, seismotectonics, Earth crust, Greater Caucasus, earthquake.

About the authors

ROGOZHIN Evgeny A. – Dr. Sci. (Geol.-Min.), professor, head of department, head of laboratory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russia. Tel.: +7 (499) 254-87-15. E-mail: eurog@ifz.ru

MILYUKOV Vadim K. – Dr. Sci. (Phys. and Math.), head of laboratory, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Sternberg Astronomical Institute. Moscow, Russia; senior researcher, Vladikavkaz Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. Tel.: +7 (495) 939-16-34. E-mail: vmilyukov@yandex.ru

MIRONOV Alexey P. – science researcher,  Lomonosov Moscow State University Sternberg Astronomical Institute. Moscow, Russia. Tel.: +7 (495) 939-16-34. E-mail: almir@physics.msu.ru

OVSYUCHENKO Alexander N. – Cand. Sci. (Geol.-Min.), head of laboratory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russia. Tel.: +7 (499) 254-90-15. E-mail: ovs@ifz.ru

GORBATIKOV Andrey V. – Cand. Sci. (Phys. and Math.), leading researcher, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russia. E-mail: avgor70@mail.ru

ANDREEVA Nadezhda V. – science researcher,  Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russia. Tel.: +7 (499) 254-02-01. E-mail: znv@ifz.ru

LUKASHOVA Raisa N. – science researcher,  Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. Moscow, Russia. Tel.: +7 (499) 254-93-97. E-mail: lur@ifz.ru

DROBYSHEV Valery N. – engineer-researcher, Vladikavkaz Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. Tel.: +7 (867) 250-18-31. E-mail: dvn4444@rambler.ru

KHUBAEV Khariton M. – engineer-researcher, Vladikavkaz Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Vladikavkaz, Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. Tel.: +7 (867) 250-18-31. E-mail: hariton.hubaev@rambler.ru

Cite this article as: Rogozhin E.A., Milyukov V.K. , Mironov A.P. , Ovsyuchenko A.N., Gorbatikov A.V., Andreeva N.V., Lukashova R.N., Drobyshev V.N., Khubaev Kh.M. Characteristics of the modern horizontal movements in the zones of the strong and moderate earthquakes in the beginning of the XXI century in the central sector of the Greater Caucasus according to GPS-observations and their connection with the neotectonics and deep structure of the Earth’s crust, Geofizicheskie Protsessy i Biosfera (Geophysical Processes and Biosphere), 2019, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 91–102 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.21455/gpb2019.1-8

English version: Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, 2019, vol. 55, iss. 7. ISSN: 0001-4338 (Print), 1555-628X (Online). URL: https://link.springer.com/journal/volumesAndIssues/11485