SEARCH OF THE STRONG ANCIENT EARTHQUAKES TRACES IN THE WESTERN CAUCASUS: ARCHEOSEISMOLOGICAL STUDY IN ANCIENT GORGIPPIA

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

2 Anapa Archaeological Museum, Anapa, Russia

3 Mining and Geology University, Sofia, Bulgaria

4 Institute of Oceanology «Fridtjof Nansen», Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Varna, Bulgaria

5 Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China

* e-mail: korzhenkov@ifz.ru

Abstract. Ancient Gorgippia is in surrounding of known seismogenic zones: Northern Black-Sea, Kerch’, Southern Asov. All of them are stretching below the water and only few secondary faults reach the surface in the coastal zone. Also in the surface – near ancient city there are seismically active faults and flexure zones which can be the sources – generators of the strong earthquakes. Our study in the walls of ancient Gorgippia has revealed a number of seismically induces deformations and destructions: systematic tilts and shifts of upper parts of the walls, as well as their arch-like warping in plan; shear ruptures of the walls; rotations of walls and other building elements around vertical axis; squashing of water wells’ mouths and stems. Some of mentioned deformations can be formed during strong historical earthquakes in III and I centuries BC, as well as in I and III century AD. There seismic events were accompanied by local destructions and fires. Summarizing all materials on historical earthquakes of the Taman’ Peninsula one can conclude that regional seismic potential is determined by a possibility of М ≥ 7.0 crust earthquake occurrence with average recurrence interval – one seismic event in few hundred years. Seismic oscillations in the source zone from such natural events are I0 = IX or even more.

Keywords: Gorgippia, Taman’ Peninsula, Western Caucasus, historical earthquakes, archeoseismology, seismic deformations, Anapa, Black Sea, active faults, flexure zone.

About the authors

KORZHENKOV Andrey M. – Dr. Sci. (Geol.-Min.), head of laboratory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. Russia, 123242, Moscow, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya st., 10-1. Tel.: +7 (916) 226-90-92. E-mail: korzhenkov@ifz.ru

NOVICHIKHIN Andrey M. – Cand. Sci. (Hist.), senior science researcher, Anapa Archaeological Museum. Russia, 353440, Anapa, Krasnodar region, Naberezhnaya st., 4. Tel.: (86133) 4-58-76. E-mail: yazamat03@mail.ru

OVSYUCHENKO Alexander N. – Cand. Sci. (Geol.-Min.), head of laboratory, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. Russia, 123242, Moscow, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya st., 10-1. Tel.: +7 (499) 254-90-15. E-mail: ovs@ifz.ru

RANGUELOV Boyko K. – Cand. Sci. (Phys.), professor, Mining and Geology University. Bulgaria, 1700, Sofia, Prof. B. Kamenov st., 1. E-mail: branguelov@gmail.com

ROGOZHIN Evgeny A. – Dr. Sci. (Geol.-Min.), professor, head of department, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. Russia, 123242, Moscow, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya st., 10-1. Tel.: +7 (499) 254-87-15. E-mail: eurog1947@yandex.ru

DIMITROV Orlin V. – PhD (Geoph.), senior researcher, Institute of Oceanology «Fridtjof Nansen», Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Bulgaria, 9000, Varna, st. «Pervi May», 40, PC 152. E-mail: ovdimitrov@io-bas.bg

LARKOV Alexander S. – science researcher, Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences. Russia, 123242, Moscow, Bolshaya Gruzinskaya st., 10-1. Tel.: +7 (499) 254-92-50. E-mail: las119@yandex.ru

LIU Jiao – Cand. Sci. (Geol.-Min.), assistant researcher, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration. China, 100029, Beijing, Chaoyang district, Huayanli, 1. Tel.: +86 (10) 6200-94-15. E-mail: liujiao@ies.ac.cn

Cite this article as: Korzhenkov A.M., Novichikhin A.M., Ovsyuchenko A.N., Ranguelov B.K., Rogozhin E.A., Dimitrov O.V., Larkov A.S., Liu J. Search of the strong ancient earthquakes traces in the Western Caucasus: Archeoseismological study in ancient Gorgippia, Geofizicheskie Protsessy i Biosfera (Geophysical Processes and Biosphere), 2019, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 110–128 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.21455/gpb2019.4-10

English version: Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, 2019, vol. 55, iss. 11. ISSN: 0001-4338 (Print), 1555-628X (Online). https://link.springer.com/journal/volumesAndIssues/11485