Scientists to study seismotectonic features of Greater Caucasus

Azerbaijan and Russia will implement a joint project to study seismotectonic features of the Greater Caucasus region, which is considered the most seismically active area in the region.

Republican Seismic Survey Center of ANAS told Trend that the two sides are in talks on the project details, which is scheduled to be realized in 2017.

Work will be carried out in collaboration with the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Physics of the Earth, which has extensive experience in this field.

“The project provides for seismotomographic research of great depths and study of seismotectonic features of the Southern slope of the Greater Caucasus. Precursors of seismic phenomenon will be studied in detail,” the Center said.

The Center said that the project will start as soon as financial issues will be resolved. Funding for the project will be carried out both by Azerbaijan and Russia. In the future, the project can attract other countries, the Center reported.

Azerbaijan, located within the central part of the Mediterranean mobile belt, records minor earthquakes on a daily basis due to the dynamics of the Arabian and Eurasian lithospheric plates.

The seismogenic zones with potential to produce dangerous force cover whole Azerbaijan as the Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt passes through Azerbaijan. Therefore, the country is considered to be a seismically active region – a lot of earthquakes occur over Azerbaijan every year, however, majority of them are not felt.

The most seismically active zones in Azerbaijan are located in the Caspian Sea, cities of Shamakhi and Ismayilli, along the southeastern slopes of the Greater Caucasus, and in the Talysh Mountains.

The last strong earthquakes of the 21st century in Baku were held in November 2000 measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, the strongest for almost 160 years.