SEISMICITY of AZERBAIJAN and ADJACENT TERRITORIES in 2015

Abstract

In 2015, the network of Azerbaijan seismic stations included 35 digital stations, which continued to operate unchanged. The set of parameters determined for estimating the earthquake magnitude has decreased – determination of the MPVA magnitude and КР energy class has ceased. Only the local magnitude MLАзр was measured. The total number of earthquakes recorded by the Azerbaijan network of stations in 2015 amounted to 6419, however, only 128 of them with MLАзр3.0 are given in the catalogue of earthquakes of Azerbaijan published in the Appendix to this article. Seismic activity in the study area remained unchanged. The released seismic energy changed insignificantly compared to its value in 2014 and was close to the background level for the period 1993–2014. The increase in the number of earthquakes of the representative level (K≥8.6, MLАзр≥2.8) in comparison with the long-term average annual value is due to aftershocks of earthquakes on January 26 with MLАзр=4.9, June 3 with MLАзр=4.6, and September 4 with MLАзр=5.9. The 2015 most significant seismic event on the territory of the Republic was the earthquake on September 4 with MLАзр=5.9 and seismic intensity at the epicenter of I0=7.