УДК 550

Historical and contemporary seismicity
of the Semipalatinsk Test Site territory

Institute of Geophysical Research of Ministry of Energy Republic of Kazakhstan,
Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan

* e-mail: sokolova.inessa@mail.ru

Abstract. According to the current maps of general seismic zoning of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2006) the territory of Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS) is considered as aseismic region. Recent investigations and analysis of archived data showed that the Test Site territory and its vicinity have experienced in the past and still experience tectonic and induced earthquakes. Maximum magnitude of recorded earthquakes is 5–5.9. Historic analogue seismograms have been collected beginning from 1925; the earthquake parameters were précised. Contemporary instrumental seismic data of Kazakhstan monitoring network were processed since 1994, as well as data of permanent network of seismic stations installed on the territory of the Test Site in 2005–2010 at the region of testing sites «Sary-Uzen», «Balapan», and «Degelen». The conducted works resulted in creating of a common earthquake catalogue for the STS territory and its vicinity. Macroseismic data was collected for sensible earthquakes; strong motions records were analyzed. Deep faults dividing earth crust blocks were marked out. Tectonic elements were located by decoding of Landsat space images, materials of geologic and topographic surveys. The calculations show that the STS territory can experience events with intensity 6 by MSK-64 scale.

Keywords: Semipalatinsk Test Site, seismic hazard, induced seismicity.

About the authors

MIKHAILOVA Natalya Nikolayevna – Institute of Geophysical Research of Ministry of Energy Republic of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, 050020, Almaty, Chaikinoy, 4. E-mail: mikhailova@kndc.kz

SOKOLOVA Inna Nikolayevna – Institute of Geophysical Research of Ministry of Energy Republic of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, 050020, Almaty, Chaikinoy, 4. E-mail: sokolova.inessa@mail.ru

POLESHKO Natalya Nikolayevna – Institute of Geophysical Research of Ministry of Energy Republic of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, 050020, Almaty, Chaikinoy, 4. E-mail: poleshko@kndc.kz

Cite this article as: Mikhailova N.N., Sokolova I.N., Poleshko N.N. Historical and contemporary seismicity of the Semipalatinsk Test Site territory, Geofizicheskie Protsessy i Biosfera (Geophysical Processes and Biosphere), 2020, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 117–134 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.21455/gpb2020.2-9

English version: Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, 2020, vol. 56, iss. 8. ISSN: 0001-4338 (Print), 1555-628X (Online). https://link.springer.com/journal/volumesAndIssues/11485