S.V. Medvedev’s Contribution to the Creation and Development of the Journal Voprosyinzhenernoy seismologii (Problems of Engineering Seismology)

Abstract

The article was written in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the founding of the journal Voprosyinzhenernoy seismologii (Problems of Engineering Seismology) (ISSN: 0132-2826, eISSN: 2311-9586, http://elibrary.ru/title_about.asp?id=25597 , URL: http://qes.ifz.ru , subscription index: 42350). The journal was founded by Sergey Vasilievich Medvedev (1910–1977), the foremost specialist in the field of engineering seismology, who was its editor-in-chief (managing editor) for 20 years. In this period, the foundations of national engineering seismology were laid, and the journal played a crucial role in the establishment and development of this science. Medvedev organized thematic issues in key areas of Russia’s emerging field of engineering seismology and published the results of his research in the journal, which determined for years ahead the further development of engineering seismology. He focused greatly on unifying data, their acquisition and processing, and he developed and published various instructions, recommendations, and research programs in the pages of the journal. The article considers Medvedev’s contribution as editor-in-chief and his own publications in advancing such areas of engineering seismology as seismic zoning of the USSR, seismic microzoning, creating scales for determining earthquake strength, and studying seismic ground vibrations during blasting, the impact of seismic oscillations on structures, and relationships between isoseists, depth, and energy of earthquakes.