SEISMOTECTONICS OF THE KERCH-TAMAN REGION DESTRUCTIVE EARTHQUAKES

Abstract

Descriptions are given of the seismotectonic model of the Kerch-Taman region of the Crimean-Caucasian seismic belt. A distinctive feature of the Kerch-Taman seismic region is the existence of destructive historical earthquakes with M = 6,0-7,5 and intensity of up to 9 points in the absence of strong seismic events during the instrumental period. Epicenters of known destructive earthquakes are located in the southern part of the Azov Sea and in the Kerch-Taman Strait water area, and their hypocenters were located at the depth of 15-40 km in the consolidated layer of the Earth’s crust of the Indolokuban block of the Scythian plate, which is separated by the Crimean and West Caucasian faults from East-Black Sea plates situated to the south.