SEISMICITY of the CARPATHIANS in 2018–2019

Abstract

The article describes seismic observations in the Carpathian region in 2018–2019, which were carried out, as before, by two organizations from two states: in Ukraine – the Seismicity department of the Carpathian region of the Institute of Geophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, in Moldova – the seismology laboratory of the Institute of Geology and Seismology of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova. The monitoring of seismicity was carried out 21 stationary digital and 3 temporary stations of Ukraine with a processing centre in Lviv and six stations of Moldova with a processing centre in Chisinau. The consolidated catalog of earthquakes was created in Lviv. The total number of Carpathian earthquakes in 2018–2019 was NΣ=99 in the range KR=4.5–13.6 within the interval of hypocenter depths h=0.4–157.5 km, with total seismic energy ΣE=4.2·1013 J. The maximum earthquake with KR=13.6, MSH=5.3 and hрР=150.6 km was registered on October 28, 2018 in the Vrancea zone. The epicentral zone was subjected to shaking with an intensity up to Ii=V by MM (Mercally) scale. The earthquake was felt by the population of Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova and other European countries. In the Precarpathian and Transcarpathian regions, all earthquakes were weaker. For Transcarpathia, their energy class was in the range of KR=5.5–7.9, and the depths was in the range of h=0.6–8.0 km. The strongest event in Precarpathian was a tangible earthquake that occurred in the Drohobych district of the Lviv region on September 27, 2018 with KR=7.3 at a depth of 1.7±0.9 km. The strongest event in Bukovina was an earthquake of March 24, 2018 with KR=9.4, МSH=2.4 and h=1 km near Novodnestrovsk city, Ukraina, which was felt by the population of the village of Lomachintsy with an intensity of 4 points. In Novodnestrovsk, the earthquake was felt only on the upper floors. In general, in 2018–2019 there was a slight decrease in the level of seismicity in seismically active areas: № 1 (North-Western), № 2 (Vrancea), № 5 (Bukovina) and № 8 (Bacau), compared with that in the previous period 2016–2017. In areas № 3 (South Carpathians), № 4 (Banat) and № 7 (Transylvania) there was no earthquakes, and in area № 6 (Krishana) only there was one earthquake with КР=10.8, MSH=3.2.