Assessment of the degree of tectonic fragmentation of the upper part of the lithosphere, according to the method of Yu.V. Nechaev [2010] is based on calculations of the specific length of lineaments. On the example of three different regions – the Northwestern Caucasus, the Voronezh anteclise, and the Malko-Petropavlovskaya zone of Kamchatka – we have tested the possibility of using other morphometric parameters: the specific lengths of “weak” zones, elongation lines and streams, as well as the Gaussian curvature of the relief. Their anomalies are confined to seismically active areas and areas of manifestation of hydrothermal-magmatic activity. It is shown that the most informative are 3D models of tectonic fragmentation, built taking into account the specific length of “weak” zones and watercourses.

The estimation of the degree of tectonic fragmentation for upper lithosphere following the method of Yu.V. Nechaev (2010) is based on calculations of specific lineament lengths. We used data for three regions—Northwest Caucasus, the Voronezh Anteclise, and the Malko–Petropavlovsk zone in Kamchatka—to test whether other morphometric parameters could be used: specific lengths of “weak” zones, elongation lines and water streams, as well as relief curvature. Their anomalies are confined to seismic areas and to areas of hydrothermal and magmatic activity. We show that the most information is provided by 3D models of tectonic fragmentation that incorporate specific lengths of “weak” zones and water stream lengths.

Sixteen morphometric relief parameters have been identified whose positive anomalies correspond with seismic areas in the Greater Caucasus. An analysis of four parameters which were considered to provide the most information using the γ-operator in fuzzy logic has enabled us to develop a scheme for an index of neotectonic activity that was used along with the results of computerized geodynamic simulation to identify zones of possible earthquake sources. The new approach does not require detailed information on present-day and paleo seismicity, hence can be used to deal with an analogous problem for territories whose seismotectonics is poorly known. We have demonstrated an interrelationship between recent deformations and regional seismicity, and the possibilities offered by the method of lineament analysis due to Yu.V. Nechaev (2010) for identification of active faults.

We revealed traces of two earthquakes of the 10th and 12th centuries at six objects of the Afrasiab archaeological site. These traces include numerous ruptures and fractures that form a “flower” structure, a subsided graben, and the slopes and turns of fragments of fortress walls. The type of the deformation indicates that the epicenter of the earthquake of the 10th century was located to the west-southwest of the ancient city; the epicenter of the earthquake of the 12th century was to the south-southwest of it. The intensity of both events was VIII–IX points on the MSK-64 scale.

Seismic deformations in the ruins of the ancient town of Yangi Akhsi (Namangan oblast, Uzbekistan) have been studied: ruptures with displacement in the ground, collapses over considerable distances, tilts, shifts, and rotations of the parts of buildings, formed as a result of at least two late medieval earthquakes. They are associated with the activation of the North Ferghana flexure-rupture zone. Based on the assessment of the period of recurrence of earthquakes in this area, it is concluded that conditions have currently formed here for the occurrence of a seismic event with a magnitude of 6 or higher.

The Urup Island, located in the southern part of the Great Kuril ridge, is an interesting object of study because its relief is very contrasting and has a significant depth of vertical dissection. It was greatly influenced by the recent tectonic processes. Judging by the geological data, the island at the present stage is located in a shear stress field with the southeastern orientation of the axis of maximum compression. It can be explained by the subduction interaction of the Pacific and Sea of Okhotsk lithosphere plates at an acute angle of about 55°. Visual and automated decoding of satellite images and digital terrain models, and the analysis of the erosion network pattern made it possible to identify geomorphologic signs of shear displacements. These include the echeloned arrangement of lineaments as separation cracks in right-lateral shear zone in the area of the Rybnaya River and on the Skvoznyakovyj isthmus, where displacements of unidentified kinematics were previously revealed. The zones, which are oriented in the north-east direction and differ in the asymmetric pattern of the drainage network, were considered: within their limits, small tributaries are located on one side of the watercourse of the highest order as megatracks of separation. In the area of the epicenter of the earthquake of 1989, which occurred under the latitudinal horizontal stretching, a linear lowering of the relief with a feathery pattern of watercourses was recorded, interpreted as a morphostructure of stretching. Similar probably stretching zones, extending mainly along the azimuth of 130-140°, were recorded on the Pacific coast of the island. Their orientation, as well as the kinematics of probable shear displacements identified from the geomorphologic data, correlates with the general ideas about the stress-strain state of the Southern Kuriles, as well as the reconstruction of the main normal stress axes of the Kastricum Peninsula performed by us from the fracture measurements. All this prove that the suggested structural-geomorphologic interpretation of the Urup Island territory is quite reasonable. In general, our new data on the configuration and kinematics of probable active shear faults and extensional morphostructures complement the existing ideas about the latest deformations of the study area.

Numerous monogenic volcanic structures and thermal water outlets in the Malko-Petropavlovsk zone of transverse dislocations (MPZ) on the Kamchatka Peninsula have been established to be localized in areas of increased fracturing in the upper part of the earth’s crust. In the paper, we characterize at a quantitative level the association of manifestations of volcanism and hydrothermal–magmatic systems with positive anomalies in the morphometric characteristics of the relief (specific length of “weak” zones and watercourses, density of intersections of rivers and lineaments, and dispersion of slope exposure). A high degree of consistency in the orientations of faults and weak zones are revealed: both rose diagrams show northwestern, meridional, and northeastern directions, while the average circular values of their strikes are 75° and 76°, respectively. According to the Nechaev method (Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences (IPE RAS)), 3D models of tectonic fragmentation of the earth’s crust in the depth range of 2.5–10 km are obtained based on the calculation of the specific lengths of weak zones and watercourses. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the point elements of these voxel models is 0.86. Based on the relation between morphometric characteristics and manifestations of volcanism, we suggest that, in general, the nature of the fracturing reflected in the relief is one of the main factors determining the hydrothermal–magmatic activity of the studied area, which has a great effect on human economic activity.

ВВЕДЕНИЕ.ПОСТАНОВКА ЗАДАЧИ В настоящее время существуют разные методы анализа цифровых моделей рельефа (ЦМР), включающие ручное и автоматизированное дешифрирование линеаментов и расчет различных морфометрических характеристик.Результаты анализа позволяют сформировать представление о мегатрещиноватости, выделить предполагаемые геодинамически активные зоны, области тектонической раздробленности.Однако в ряде регионов, прежде всего на платформенных территориях, отличающихся слабой геодинамической активностью, достаточно сложно верифицировать установленные по геоморфологическим признакам области повышенной трещиноватости.В пределах Малко-Петропавловской зоны поперечных дислокаций (МПЗ) Камчатского полуострова изучено множество вулканических образований (от крупных стратовулканов до небольших моногенных конусов) (рис. 1) и выходов термальных вод, служащих непосредственными индикаторами повышенной гидротермально-флюидной проницаемости верхней части литосферы.Эта особенность дает возможность на количественном уровне сопоставлять характеризующие трещиноватость геоморфологические параметры с данными о расположении вулканических построек и горячих источников.По нашему мнению, такая количественная оценка представляет определенный интерес, поскольку определяет степень информативности разных морфометрических параметров для понимания характера и степени нарушенности верхней части литосферы.По этой причине в настоящей статье данной задаче уделено

Dislocations of loose sandy (probably Holocene) sediments have been distinguished in the southeastern margin of the Baltic Shield in area of the Petrozavodsk Basin. The disjunctive faults have normal fault kinematics. The typical features of their spatial orientation, which coincide with the orientation of latitudinal Paleoproterozoic faults, the valley of the Shuya River, and esker ranges, are described. Possible hypotheses are considered and the model of their formation is presented. The consistent orientation of studied dislocations with ancient faults indicates a tectonic origin and long-lived character of processes, which occur within the southeastern margin of the Baltic Shield of the East European Platform.

The field of the contemporary deformation of the North-Western Caucasus and Ciscaucasia is described based on GNSS horizontal movement data. It is shown that the deformation velocity is sufficient for the activation of large-scale faults of the region to be followed by seismic events with a moment magnitude of up to 7.0. Yet, the orogenic uplift at a rate of up to 12 mm/yr and the development of its varied, deep-broken relief cannot be explained only by the effect of external horizontal stresses. These processes are conditioned, to a great extent, on internal isostatic forces.

The rapid development of industrial activity leads steadily to an increase in the influence of various factors that have a negative impact on the environment. One of them is a high level of technogenic low-frequency seismoacoustic pollution of settlements. This paper presents the results of in situ measurements of microseismic and acoustic noise in various frequency ranges in conditions of dense urban development using the example of the settlement of Mosrentgen. As a result of processing the primary data, we have obtained averaged values normalized to the reference station, compared the values of microseismic and acoustic noise, and localized areas of increased noise pollution. The features of the spatiotemporal distribution of microseismic and acoustic noise in the area of Mosrentgen are given. It is shown that the Moscow Ring Road and the metro station under construction are sources of low-frequency noise pollution. At the same time, it is recorded that the maximum permissible values of vibration and acoustic background up to 28 dB are exceeded.

Associations of dislocations of sand deposits (probably — Holocene) have been identified on the southeastern margin of the Baltic Shield in the Petrozavodsk depression. Brittle disjunctives have a normal faults kinematics. The description of the identified dislocations and the patterns of spatial orientation characteristic of them, coinciding with the orientation of the Paleoproterozoic faults, the Shuya River valley and the eskers, are given. Possible hypotheses are considered and a model of their formation is proposed. The revealed consistency of the orientation of the studied dislocations with ancient disturbances indicates the tectonic nature and inherited nature of the processes occurring within the southeastern margin of the Baltic Shield of the East European Platform (EEP).

The work is devoted to the problem of identifying zones of seismic generstion zones of Fennoscandia, for the solution of which structural-geomorphological interpretation was carried out, seismicity analysis and computer modeling of the latest geodynamics were performed. According to the results of structural-geomorphological interpretation, the territory under consideration was divided into 6 large blocks. Computer modeling showed that each of them is characterized by a certain type of stress state in recent times, and also allowed us to calculate the probability of the formation of new short-distance faults. The reliability of the constructed models is evidenced by the established numerical correlation between this parameter and the density of earthquake epicenters. Based on the data on the density of earthquake epicenters and areas of the possible formation of new faults, a map of seismic generation zones of Fennoscandia was developed.

Using the method of cluster analysis of morphometric topographical parameters, the areas that concentrate most of the epicenters of modern earthquakes within the Voronezh anteclise have been identified. Using computer modeling, the areas of possible formation of new small-length discontinuities in the modern stress field have been outlined. On the basis of complex geological and geomorphological data a tectonophysical model has been made. This model accounts for the nature of seismicity through the development of geodynamically active zones in a shear setting with the NW-oriented axis of maximum shortening.

The paper presents the velocity field of the Western Caucasus and Ciscaucasia based on GNSS observations. In the ITRF2014 reference frame, this field shows the coordinated movement of the region in the north‒northeast direction at an average rate of 27‒28 mm/year. A number of geodynamic features of the main tectonic structures of the region are identified with respect to fixed (immobile) Eurasia. In the northern part of the region, a fan-shaped pattern of horizontal velocity vectors is observed, reflecting counterclockwise rotation of the northern limb of the North Azov flexural fault zone and, accordingly, modern shear displacements. To detail the geodynamic situation, the velocity field is compared with two geodetic profiles. The first profile crosses in the southwest–northeast direction the mountain belt of the Western Caucasus, the West Kuban Foredeep, and the Scythian Platform, which are the region’s main geological structures. The second profile is less extended, but also crosses the entire mountain belt of the Western Caucasus, the West Kuban Foredeep, and part of the monocline of the Central Sector of the North Caucasus. Within the Greater Caucasus and the West Kuban Foredeep, transverse compression of the main morphostructures is observed at a rate of up to 1 mm/year, and shear displacements prevail in the Ciscaucasia. The mountain belt of the Western Caucasus is in conditions of longitudinal compression. East of the Tuapse Fault Zone, the mountain belt is undergoing longitudinal extension. At the same time, the intensity of deformation processes on the southern slope area is higher than in the Ciscaucasia. Currently, the seismic activity level in the Western Caucasus is low and moderate.

Ananalysis of the displacement rates of GNSS points indicates that the values of current deformations gradually decrease from the center of Fennoscandia, which is under tensile conditions, to its periphery. At the northeastern margin of the region, the tensile and shear conditions are replaced by a compression strip extending from Lake Ladoga to the Gulf of Kandalaksha. These features of the deformation field are consistent with the solutions for the focal mechanisms of earthquake sources and can be explained by the fact that the study region is developing as a growing elevation, with its center in the northern Gulf of Bothnia, which is under horizontal northwestward compression from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It is shown that most of the seismic generation zones we previously determined are located in the areas of increased values of deformations.

The paper shows the possibilities of complex morphometric analysis of the relief and computer modeling of modern geodynamics to identify seismically active areas in two different regions well studied in seismotectonic terms: the Northwestern Caucasus and the Voronezh anteclise. At the quantitative level, the majority of earthquake epicenters are associated with areas of increased values of a number of morphometric characteristics of the relief (depth of vertical dissection, steepness of slopes, density of lineaments and elongation lines, etc.). Computer modeling has been used to identify areas of possible formation of new fractures, within which 80 and 65% of earthquake epicenters of the Northwestern Caucasus and Voronezh anteclise, respectively, are located. The shares of the area of these regions are 55% (for the Northwestern Caucasus) and 36% (for the Voronezh anteclise), which indicates the informative nature of the results obtained. The research is significant, because the methods and approaches used may be in demand when delineating inferred seismically active areas of territories where detailed seismological observations have not been carried out.

As a result of our geomorphic studies, we obtained new data about the close relationship between the bottom topography and nature of the latest movements within the basins of lakes Ladoga and Onega. Computer geodynamic simulation showed that this relationship can be explained by the development of supposed active faults that we identified on a detailed scale, under the setting of a northeastern extension, whose axis is oriented across the strike of the considered lake basins.

This paper is devoted to the problem of identifying seismic generation zones in Fennoscandia. For this purpose, structural-geomorphological interpretation, seismicity analysis, and computer modeling were performed. Based on the results of structural-geomorphological interpretation, the territory was divided into six large blocks. The computer modeling data showed that each of these blocks is characterized by a certain type of stress state in recent times, which thus allowed us to calculate the probability of the formation of new small-scale faults. The reliability of the constructed model is shown by the established numerical correlation between this parameter and the density of earthquake epicenters. A map of seismic generation zones of Fennoscandia was developed based on the data on the density of earthquake epicenters and areas of the possible development of new faults.

The paper presents the results of comparative neogeodynamic analysis of the Baltic syneclise and northern Voronezh anteclise based on structural-geomorphological interpretation, digital elevation model (DEM) processing procedure using LESSA program [Zlatopolsky, 2011], seismic analysis, and computer geodynamic modeling. Both regions are seismically active areas of the East European Platform. The automated DEM analysis showed that they are dominated by NW-striking lineaments oriented across the strike of the neoextension axis. Computational neogeodynamic models imply that the areas under consideration develop in shear environment, with the compression axis oriented northwest. Another important result of modeling is numerical correlation between earthquake energy, interpolated over the Baltic syneclise, and the probability of occurrence of ruptures: the Pearson correlation coefficient is 0.58 for the sedimentary cover and 0.42 for the basement. For the northern Voronezh anteclise, a correlation was found between the epicentral density of earthquakes and "Fracture regions" parameter, with reference to which there were distinguished the areas with the probable occurrence of new short-extension ruptures (the Pearson correlation coefficient is 0.41). This parameter is informative for contouring seismically active parts since the areas with probable occurrence of new ruptures, occupying 39 % of the northern Voronezh anteclise, account for 71 % of earthquake epicenters. Structuralgeomorphological interpretation yielded a high degree of correlation between relief and active faults identified as "weak" zones to which the earthquake epicenters are largely confined. Therefore, both regions considered are characterized by high sedimentary-cover seismic activity, develop in shear stress field, with the stress axis oriented northwest, and have similar orientations of linear elements of relief and "weak" zones. The analysis of the earthquake recurrence curves shows considerable differences between seismic regimes of the northern Voronezh anteclise and the Baltic syneclise, and those between the sedimentary-cover and basement seismicity of the latter. These differences may be due the fact that the stressed state of the Voronezh anteclise is affected by active structures of the Urals and Caucasus, and that the upwarping Fennoscandian shield is largely responsible for neodeformations of the Baltic syneclise. Practical significance of the study is concerned with the identification of earthquake source zones.