Moscow threatened with earthquake

A bad piece of news: Moscow is threatened with an earthquake. Next years (it is not known when exactly) a Richter 5-6 force earthquake could happen in Moscow. To be more exact, that should be the echo of an earthquake in Carpathian Mountains. Though, that “echo” will be good enough to shake high-rise buildings: in flats dishes will get broken… This was reported by Izvestia.Ru referring to recent data of palaeoseismology laboratory of Russian Academy of Science’s Earth Physics Institute. The scientists, however, hasten to calm Moscowites: consequences of this seismological activity should not cause human victims. Though, as for the most sensitive people, that ones who have problems with the heart, everything could happen. The last most serious earthquake in Moscow happened in spring of 1977, whose size was 4-5 points by the Richter scale. At that time, the reason of the earthquake was 9-point earthquake in the city of Vrancha, Romania. Now, according to the specialists, the seismological danger is moving from Carpathian Mountains. Apropos, that “Carpathian factor” was mentioned already in 2000, by the worker of State Specialized Planning Institute, V.Sokolov in his scientific work “Is Moscow Threatened with Earthquake?”. According to Sokolov, earthquake could come to Moscow only from the south-west of Carpathian Mountains. This earthquake could be about 4 points by the Richter scale, though in some places – also 5 or 6 points. While local (tectonic) earthquakes have not been registered in Moscow and its suburbs within the whole history. The scientist also noticed that a big part of Moscow territory, especially the centre, has complicated and negative geological conditions as for underground building. In the centre, there is karst, suffosion, erosion, ancient erosion valleys, though in the city active underground building is being carried. While the building designs not in full take into account specific of the building conditions, including underground communications and traffic.

Sergei Yugov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/05/13/41023.html