BAIKAL and TRANSBAIKALIA

Abstract

We considered the character of the seismic process in the Baikal and Transbaikalia region in 2014. 8782 earthquakes with КР≥5.6 were recorded within the study territory during that year, 94 % of them were located in the Baikal rift zone. 26 seismic events were felt in the cities, towns and local settlements with the intensity not exceeding 5. The strongest of them (Mw=5.5) occurred in the Baikal-Muya region of the Baikal rift zone and was followed by a large earthquake sequence. Focal mechanisms were determines for 46 shocks from the data on P-wave first motion polarities, seismic moment tensor (focal mechanism, scalar seismic moment (M0), moment magnitude (Mw) and hypocentral depth (h)) was calculated for 11 events from the data on amplitude surface wave spectra. It has been found that normal fault movements are realized in the sources of 59 % of the earthquakes with the obtained focal mechanisms. In general, high level of seismic activity is a characteristic feature of the considered territory in 2014.