Part Of Latvia Research Articles

Ziemie Zabrane w angielskojęzycznej prasie związanej ze stronnictwem księcia Adama Jerzego Czartoryskiego w początkach emigracji

“The Taken Lands” in English-language press related to the political camp of prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski at the begining of exile The article is based on three English-language press titles published in the early 1830s in Great Britain by Polish emigrants and British supporters of the Polish case related to the political camp of Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski. These are: “The Hull Polish Record,” “The Polish Exile,” and “Polonia or Monthly Reports of Polish Affairs”. The main aim of the article is to recreate the image of the so-called “Ziemie Zabrane” (The Taken Lands) – i.e. the former Polish provinces incorporated directly into the Russian Empire after 1795. These were the lands of today’s Lithuania, part of Latvia, all of Belarus and the right-bank of Ukraine. The authors of the several articles devoted to this issue presented – in their writings – the history of these lands from the Middle Ages, their fate during the partitions until the November Uprising, the course of which in Lithuania and Ukraine was described in more detail. There were also reports of repressions that fell upon the inhabitants of these lands after the defeat of the uprising. On the pages of the surveyed press one can also find reports on the state of the economy of these lands, trade and water routes; biographies of famous people born in these areas and many descriptions of their tourist and sightseeing values. In each of these cases, the authors of the texts tried to emphasize the ties between these lands and their inhabitants with the rest of the Polish territory and convince the potential readers that they constitute its integral part, which should be included in it in the event of the reconstruction of the independent Polish state.

Distribution of Minor and Major Metallic Elements in Residential Indoor Dust: A Case Study in Latvia.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has not only brought considerable and permanent changes to economies and healthcare systems, but it has also greatly changed the habits of almost the entire society. During the lockdowns, people were forced to stay in their dwellings, which served as a catalyst for the initiation of a survey on the estimation of the metallic element content in residential indoor dust in different parts of Latvia. This article presents the study results obtained through the analysis of collected dust samples from 46 dwellings, both in the capital of Latvia, Riga, and in smaller cities. Two methods were employed for indoor dust collection: vacuum sampling and manual sampling with a brush and plastic spatula. After microwave-assisted acid extraction, the samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in terms of the major (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Al and Fe) and minor (Mn, Ni, Co, Pb, Cr, As, Ba, Li, Be, B, V, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, La, Ce and Bi) elements. For the data analysis, principal component analysis was performed. Among the measured metals, the highest values were determined for the macro and most abundant elements (Na > K > Ca > Fe > Mg > Al). The concentration ranges of the persistently detected elements were as follows: Pb, 0.27-1200 mg kg-1; Cd, 0.01-6.37 mg kg-1; Ni, 0.07-513 mg kg-1; As, 0.01-69.2 mg kg-1; Cu, 5.71-1900 mg kg-1; Zn, 53.6-21,100 mg kg-1; and Cr, 4.93-412 mg kg-1. The critical limit values of metallic elements in soil defined by the legislation of the Republic of Latvia (indicating the level at or above which the functional characteristics of soil are disrupted, or pollution poses a direct threat to human health or the environment) were exceeded in the following numbers of dwellings: Pb = 4, Ni = 2, As = 1, Cu = 16, Cr = 1 and Zn = 28.

Heritage-making: Written Texts in the Transmission of Traditional Knowledge of Natural Dyeing

Natural dyeing is an element of intangible cultural heritage which is gaining new relevance today. Heritage-making as a set of purposeful activities has become an object of interest for researchers relatively recently, and this study is reflective of that. The paper aims to focus on natural dyeing as a component of cultural heritage, its documentation process, and how written texts have influenced the living tradition of natural dyeing. One of the sources for the study was ethnographic material, which provides insight into the little researched tradition of natural dyeing. To understand how the tradition was described and explained, Latvian press publications on natural dyeing were evaluated by applying qualitative and quantitative research methods. In order to study the situation today, a survey was conducted in 2016 and 2017 among dyeing workshop participants in different parts of Latvia. The results of the study indicate that the use of written sources plays an important role in practicing natural dyeing. With various activities organized by professional and amateur ethnographers, artists, handicraft teachers, etc., as well as its coverage in the press, natural dyeing has preserved its relevance. Written texts have documented the activities in the field of natural dyeing and encouraged further development of the tradition. Moreover, various sources have been used to preserve and develop dyeing skills, through both direct observation/oral tradition and written/visual materials. In addition, one’s personal experience as a significant part of the construction of identity was relevant in the past and still is today.

HISTORY IN THE FILMS OF JĀNIS STREIČS

The creative biography of the film director Jānis Streičs includes 22 feature films, 13 of which are devoted to the present day and nine are about the past. From among historical films, one depicts Latvia at the turn of the 19th century, another focuses on the Russian Civil War, two deal with the inter-war period, three depict World War II, and two are about the 1940s. These films offer Streičs’ views about the past, his own interpretation of the texts of history. At the same time, events, people, environments and life situations of the past are viewed from the present-day perspective, which includes issues and values from the present day within the space of the past. This paper examines two films made by Jānis Streičs during the Soviet era, both of them focusing on Latvian history – “The Boys of Līvsala” (1969) and “Strange Passions” (1983), and both of them are set in 1946. The films are different because of the 14 years that passed between the production of the first one and the second one, but they differ even more by the way in which the director sends messages about the past, also displaying his relationship to history and regimes. “Strange Passions” is a challenging film in terms of the history of cinema and the Soviet occupation of Latvia, bringing up the question of whether such a film could have been produced and shown in cinemas and on television. The era that is reflected in the two films is part of Jānis Streičs’ own biography. He was a child in 1946, and there was a great deal of tragedy caused by the Soviet regime, its cultivated violence, and the lack of value for human lives. The paper reviews the history interpretation in these films, and the research is based on documents from the Riga Film Studios materials that are stored at the Latvian State Archives. The conclusion is that “The Boys of Līvsala” and “Strange Passions” provide brilliant evidence of the director’s “magical realist” style. They demonstrate his great skill in transforming the childhood and youth period of his generation into a part of Latvia’s cultural memory.

Relevance of Broad-Leaved Forest Stands for Maintaining Epiphytic Bryophyte Species and Functional Trait Diversity in Forest Landscape in Latvia

AbstractBroad-leaved trees play an important role in supporting epiphyte richness in deciduous forests. In this study we tested which broad-leaved forest stands in terms of tree composition best predicted biodiversity in regard to bryophyte species number and their functional traits. The bryoflora was surveyed in 70 stands differing in dominant broad-leaved tree species. One circular plot with diameter 30 meters was established in each stand situated in different parts of Latvia. Fifty-three of the plots were located in stands identified as protected habitats of the European Union. In total, 82 bryophyte species were recorded. At plot level the total number of species ranged between 6 and 38 species. Using principal component analysis (PCA), the ordination axes explained 41% of the variation in composition of bryophytes. The PCA axes were related to tree species composition. The presence of broad-leaved trees, especially ash, lime, and oak, was connected with higher species richness. Generalised linear models confirmed that epiphyte richness, both at the total and indicator species levels, was higher in ash stands. From the functional traits, all expected life-strategy and life-form categories were recorded. The most represented life-forms were smooth mats, tall turfs, and rough mats, while the dominant life-strategy was perennial stayers, followed by competitive perennials and long-lived shuttles. Functional trait richness was highest in Fraxinus excelsior, Tilia cordata, and Quercus robur forest stands.

ASSESSING MERCURY POLLUTION USING BLACK STORK EGGSHELLS

Female birds whose bodies contain environmental contaminants produce eggs with shells that are likewise contaminated, making bird eggshells appropriate indicators for monitoring environmental toxins. Common contaminants include organic mercury compounds, especially methylmercury, which are known to bioaccumulate and biomagnify in the food chain. Black storks (Ciconia nigra) predominantly consume fish and are thus at risk for high mercury intake. In this study, we used eggshells of black storks as a proxy to reconstruct the concentration levels and distribution of mercury, a well-known toxic element, in various parts of Latvia. Preliminary analyses have shown that deposition levels of mercury vary in different parts of the eggshell. Specifically, the shell and shell membrane differ in their level of mercury contamination by an average factor of nine; therefore, we measured the mercury content in these components separately whenever possible. We analysed 34 eggshell samples from nesting sites in Latvia using an atomic absorption spectrometer with Zeeman correction Lumex RA-915M and its attachment for pyrolytic combustion. We found that mercury concentrations varied from 5 to 22 ng/g in eggshells and from 42 to 293 ng/g in shell membranes. We discuss possible contamination sources and reasons behind this disparity.

Baltiskie vietvārdu elementi

After the differentiation of the Indo-European languages, Baltic languages continued to exist side by side and develop their common geographical lexis. In the Baltic common lexis, mainly hyponyms or specific object names have formed, mostly words of the Eastern Baltic (i. e. Latvian and Lithuanian) origin. The paper deals with the most widespread generic terms of Baltic – mostly Curonian or Lithuanian – origin in Latvian toponymy: kalva ‘hillock’, danga ‘uneven place’, banda ‘field given by an owner to a servant’, lanka ‘wet meadow’, dzira ‘forest’, cērps ‘mound’, krants ‘shore, bank’, lincis ‘bay’, puosums ‘clearance’, sāts ‘meadow; populated place’, viņģis ‘bay’, vanga ‘flood-land’. In most cases, they have very branched polysemy, for example, danga 1) ‘beaten track’, 2) ‘uneven place’, 3) ‘piece of land which is surrounded by swamp or water from three sides’, 4) ‘entry of a building or forest’, 5) ‘corner’, 6) ‘bank’, 7) ‘pot on the road’. It seems that the generic terms of Curonian origin have broadened their meaning in Latvian much more than Lithuanianisms. The analysis of the most widespread generic elements of Baltic origin shows that specific toponymic system has been developed in the Western part of Latvia. Mostly borrowings from Curonian (lanka, cērps, krants, lincis, puosums, sāts) and Lithuanian (kalva, danga, viņģis) languages make these differences more distinct. The generic element vanga that until now has been considered a Curonianism, probably is an appellative of Finno-Ugric origin.

Paremias of the Latvians and the Russians in Latgale: From the Holy Scripture to Modern Existence

The paper presents a comparative analysis of some selected Latvian and Russian paremias, the bulk of which has been collected in the time period since the 1970s till nowadays in the south-eastern part of Latvia – Latgale, and studied in the context of Latvian proverbs included in folklore collections and phraseological dictionaries, as well as the archival materials of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and works by Latvian folklorists. The aim of the study is to analyse prototypical paremias from the Holy Scripture and trace the history of their existence and further development among the Latvians and the Russians in the Latgale region based on the qualitative data analysis. The conducted research allows concluding that similar worldview patterns of the Latvians and the Russians are to be searched for in Christianity. The analysed proverbs testify to the fact that culture is a unifying factor for different ethnic groups living in the same region.

Norway Spruce Survival Rate in Two Forested Landscapes, 1975–2016

The increasing frequency and severity of natural disturbances (e.g., storms and insect outbreaks) due to climate change are expected to reduce the abundance of Norway spruce stands in the European forests. Under such conditions, the assessment of status quo on focusing on survival of Norway spruce stands are essential for the agility of forest management strategies. The dynamics (mortality rate) of Norway spruce stands in hemiboreal forests based on forest inventories for the period from 1975 to 2016 (inventories of 1975, 1985, 1999, 2011 and 2016) were analyzed in two forest landscapes in the western and eastern parts of Latvia (Vane and Dviete, respectively). The spatiotemporal changes in age-dependent mortality differing by abundance of Norway spruce and disturbance regime were assessed, focusing on the transitions of stands between age groups (inventories). The age-related changes in probability of stands transitioning into the next age group contrasted (p < 0.001) between sites. In Vane, the survival of stands between inventories was constant (ca. 90%), while in Dviete, it decreased sharply from 85.7% during 1985–1999 inventories to 49.3% in 2011–2016. Age-related decreases in stand survival showed local dependencies between both landscapes, namely, in Vane, notable decreases started from 61 years, while in Dviete, the downward trends started already from 31 years, probably due to different disturbance regimes. This suggests that, in forest management planning, the different outcomes for mortality patterns between both landscapes must be considered and should not be generalized for a whole country.

Long-term effects of salvage logging on stand composition in seminatural spruce forests

The tree diameter distribution was used to characterize the impact of forest disturbances and the ecosystem dynamics during the process of regeneration in the absence of any management 44 years after the event. In addition, the impact of salvage logging after windthrow remains unknown, especially on long-term responses. In this study, comparisons were made between the “unsalvaged” and “salvaged” post-storm management scenarios. The study was conducted in Slitere Natural Park in the Northwest part of Latvia, where large-scale windthrow occurred on November 2, 1969. The three-parameter Weibull function was used to describe the diameter distribution of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands formed after large-scale wind storm in two site types (on fertile mineral soils: with normal moisture regime (fresh)—Oxalidosa—and with periodic excess water (wet)—Myrtilloso-sphagnosa) and where salvage logging was or was not carried out (management scenarios). The naturally regenerated stands remained Norway spruce dominated and were independent of the post-storm management scenarios; still, they were significantly affected by a forest type. The three-parameter Weibull distribution function suited well to actual diameter distributions of the sample plots. Diameter distributions significantly differed between the forest types: In Myrtilloso-sphagnosa (wet) forest stands, it was a negative exponential and in Oxalidosa (fresh) stands unimodal and positively skewed. We did not detect distribution differences caused by salvage after a large-scale disturbance, indicating that other factors (like ecological importance of deadwood, a risk of insect outbreaks to neighboring areas, etc.) need to be considered, when deciding on the post-storm management.

Latgalian surnames as a source of research in dialectology and language contact studies

AbstractThis article is focused on the analysis of surnames used in the eastern part of Latvia, i.e., Latgale, the history of which to a certain extent differs from other regions of Latvia. This is due to almost 300 years (1629–1917) of isolation from the territory inhabited by other ethnic Latvians, during which this region was under Polish and later Russian rule. During this 300-year-long separation, Latgale developed its own culture, a written tradition based on the local Latvian dialect, etc. The introduction of surnames for the Latvians of Latgale also differed from other regions. As Latgale is a multi-ethnic region, the system of surnames used there reflects not only the peculiarities of the local sub-dialects in vocabulary and semantics, but also contacts with other languages – Lithuanian, Estonian, Polish, Russian, Belarusian.This article is based on research results acquired within the framework of the project “Latvian surnames in archival materials. Latgale” directed by the Latvian Language Agency. Its main objective was to systematise Latgalian surnames registered in the 1935 census. The research data were summarised in a book “Latvian surnames in archival materials. Latgale”, compiled by historian Ilmārs Mežs. This book comprises about 4000 Latvian surnames from Latgale. Each surname is provided with statistical information and a description of its historical place of origin (sometimes even a particular village). Whenever possible, one or several versions of the meaning of each surname are given.

LATGALIAN COMPONENT IN THE LEARNING OF LATVIAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE: FROM PRESCHOOL TO SECONDARY SCHOOL (1990–2015)

The conditions of language development and preservation are the quality of its acquisition in the early childhood, in-depth usage and study in the educational process and formation of positive and responsible attitude towards language and national literary heritage. The quality of the development of child’s Latvian language is determined by several environmental factors: the language environment in the family, the language environment in preschool, basic and secondary educational institutions and the language environment in public space.In Latgale most children learn Latvian in heterogeneous sociolinguistic environment. Child’s acquisition of the Latvian language in the family occurs in one of the following ways: in the native dialect (variant of dialect), if all the family members communicate only in one of our dialects, the High Latvian dialect; in the Latvian standard language, if the family members communicate in the standard language; in the so-called “third variant”, if the communication is in the Latvian standard language with a strong dialectal influence; or bilingually (dialect – Latvian standard language, dialect – Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Belarusian or some other language, Latvian standard language – Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Belarusian or some other language).Experience acquired during the project “Latvian Language in Monolingual and Bilingual Acquisition: tools, theories and applications” (LAMBA) shows that a part of our High Latvian dialect-speaking parents found it difficult to answer MacArthur-Bate Communicative development test questions, which were formed according to the Latvian standard language system. As communication with children takes place only in their native dialect, there are differences between child’s speech and the standard language at phonological and morphological level. At the same time, parents, after consultation on how to complete the test, noted that the quality of learning Latvian at school is better than learning at home where incorrect colloquial Latvian is used. Latvian language users in other parts of Latvia faced a similar problem, but in general it did not seriously affect the performance of the test. Students emphasize that more knowledge about interrelation between the Latvian dialectal and standard language would make the Latvian language acquisition process easier and help avoid interference of the native dialect. Language learning at school takes place in a monolingual environment, but some schools offer optional courses also in the Latgalian written (standard) language and literature. Outside the classroom, communication goes on in both, standard Latvian and native dialect and other languages.Language environment of the public space is heterogeneous; children hear different High Latvian variants as well as the so-called “third variant” which causes the most harm, both to Latgalian and Latvian standard languages and other languages. Taking into consideration the fact that two traditions of the written language have historically developed in Latvia – the Latvian standard language, and the Latgalian standard language tradition – and the Latgalian standard language is a very important component of Latgale regional and cultural identity and significant cultural value of Latvia, State Language Law 3 (4) determines that “the State ensures the preservation, protection and development of the Latgalian standard language as a historical option of the Latvian language”. Language knowledge, its usage in the learning process and the knowledge of literary and cultural heritage in close connection with national values are preconditions of language development and retention. Therefore, it is important that the school curricula and literature contain both Latvian and Latgalian. This report focuses, firstly, on how the school curricula and learning standards reflect the necessity to form and develop the Latgalian standard language and literature, secondly, how these issues are revealed in the text books of the Latvian language and literature developed from 1990 to 2015 and thirdly, it deals with secondary school students’ survey results on the knowledge of the Latgalian standard language and literature. Analysis of the standards and curricula of the primary school and secondary school subject “Latvian language” and “Literature” reveals that neither the Latgalian standard language as an option of the Latvian language, nor fiction written in the Latgalian standard language are reflected in text books. The text books developed during the last 20 years deal with these thematic issues only sporadically.

A transition from spontaneity to planning? Economic values and educational policies in the process of revitalizing the regional language of Latgalian (Latvia)

This paper deals with current questions in revitalizing the regional language Latgalian, one of the varieties native to Latgale, a region located in the eastern part of Latvia. It first provides an overview of domains where Latgalian is used and highlights recent changes in these. Based on linguistic landscape data as well as interviews with entrepreneurs from Latgale, it analyzes the usage value of Latgalian and relates it to perceptions of its economic potential for individual businesses and for the development of Latgale as a whole. These perceptions are then related to the presence of Latgalian in education and educational policies. On these grounds, the paper argues that the societal processes through which the status of Latgalian is negotiated have changed from being based mostly on unidirectional bottom-up initiatives towards a more complex set of factors. These include more favourable attitudes and also increasingly coherent activities by top-down actors, including government institutions, such as the approval of curricula by the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science for the written Latgalian language.

The impact of climate change on the annual variation of shallow groundwater levels in Latvia

Abstract The long-term annual regime of shallow groundwater levels is analysed in two different time periods according to the dominance of continental and oceanic air masses in Latvia. Observed and modelled long-term mean monthly groundwater levels for the reference period (1961-1990) and a future period (2070-2100) are transformed into relative values and the contours are derived for each month of the year. In both periods, the main difference between the mildly oceanic western coastal part of Latvia and the continental eastern part is the pattern of the winter regime which responds differently to snowmelt. In the coastal areas, where the degree of climatic continentality is low, groundwater levels during the winter are higher than those areas in the inland eastern part of the country. From May to September, there is only temporal difference between the groundwater levels in those two parts of Latvia. There are significant differences of relative groundwater levels between reference and future periods during the winter months.

Teachers View on Social and Emotional Aspect of Pedagogical Competence

Problem statement: Bologna process challenges European higher education area by comparability and compatibility of several issues including educators’ professional competence. However, through their educational philosophy and activity educators have discovered and shaped their own sense and meaning of pedagogical competence. During the time when teacher professional standard has been reexamined nationally, teachers’ voice in Latvia is still poorly considered. Therefore, this article aims to provide a balance between two directions-’from-above’ that implies policy and legislation and ‘from-below’ that stands for practitioners’ own voice. Approach: This study is an attempt to enter into professional world of elementary school teachers and to describe how they interpret meaning of their pedagogical competence embodied in educational activity. Thus, this basic interpretive study reflects characteristics of phenomenology and constructionism. The data are collected through semi-structured interviews. The sample (n = 14) is created by snowball approach and includes teachers who represent different length of service, main ethnic backgrounds and geographical parts of Latvia. The data analysis implies identification of recurrent themes that emerge through the data. Results: As a result, the study provides a description of developed themes that illustrate elementary school teachers’ understanding of social and emotional aspect of pedagogical competence. Conclusion: The developed themes are discussed in the context of Bologna initiatives in higher education, holistic understanding of pedagogical competence and sustainable development of teacher education.

Distribution ofLeprariain Latvia in Relation to Tree Substratum and Deciduous Forest Type

The aim of the study was to evaluate the distribution of Lepraria lichen species in dry deciduous forests, in relation to tree substratum and forest characteristics. In total, 34 localities with 1020 trees (13 tree species) were studied in different parts of Latvia. Lepraria spp. were found on 642 trees: L. eburnea on 8 trees, L. incana on 80 trees, and L. lobificans on 568 trees. Lepraria eburnea was recorded for the first time in Latvia. Tree species, tree bark crevice depth, inclination, pH and forest type were the most important variables explaining the presence of Lepraria species. Lepraria incana was associated with Quercus robur and Tilia cordata, while L. lobificans was associated with Betula pendula. The occurrence probability of L. lobificans increased with tree inclination and tree bark pH, and that of L. incana with bark crevice depth and tree bark pH.

Results of monitoring of the population of Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei in Latvia in 2009-2010

Results of monitoring of the population ofBlumeria graminisf.sp.hordeiin Latvia in 2009-2010In 2009-2010, random samples of the causal agent of barley powdery mildew were collected in Daugavpils (south-eastern Latvia, Latgale region), Stende (north-western Latvia, Kurzeme region) and Priekuļi (north-eastern Latvia, Vidzeme region). Virulence frequency, complexity and pathotypes were calculated in the pathogen populations. Significant differences of virulence detected by the genesVa1, Va3and Va13occurred among samples of the pathogen population collected in different parts of Latvia. Nei index, Müller's index, Kosman index, Shannon index and Simpson index showed considerably higher diversity in Daugavpils and Stende during 2009-2010. In Daugavpils, the population ofBlumeria graminisf.sp.hordei was particularly characterised by high diversity.

Understanding of Latvian Studying Youth about Mobility and Migration in Multi-Dimensional Society Nowadays

Introduction. Rapid inhabitant mobility and migration to European and other countries in the world as well as in the territory of Latvia goes on since Latvia has become the member of the European Union. There are several possible reasons for that: economic crisis in the country, low salaries in the social state sector, individual strivings and aspirations of every person to achieve self-realization. Many children become parentless as parents go to different countries. A part of Latvia’s inhabitants come back but a part of them continue to live abroad. This was the reason for choosing the topic to study. The Aim of the Study. To investigate circumstances why inhabitants of Latvia leave their country and what the civic understanding of the Latvian young people, who study in tertiary institutions, is as regards the mobility and migration to a different society. Materials and Methods. European project Multiple Choice Identity: Materials of Mobility and Migration. Statistical data and analysis and research about migration. Interviewing students in an empiric investigation; interviewing people who have emigrated to England. Results. Mobility and migration have positive and negative economical and demographic consequences; it is important for every nation to preserve its cultural identity. Particular interest is paid to immigrants’ integration in the cultural environment of Latvia. Conclusions. Positive changes in economic life, positive understanding in the mass media and study curricula are needed as they would promote formation of a positive understanding of the mobility and migration in multi-dimensional society nowadays.

First records ofCyclops bohaterKozminski, 1933 from Latvia’s Lakes with Notes on its Morphometry

The freshwater Copepoda Cyclopoid Cyclops bohater Kozminski, 1933 is here reported from Latvia for the first time. This species is a large cyclopoid, the adults of which inhabit the pelagic part of lakes. It is distributed in Europe and Asia. Two populations were recorded in the southeast part of Latvia – in the Lakes Svente and Brigene. The found male and female specimens are described taxonomically and compared with the results on other populations in Europe. The studies resulted in obtaining new data on the morphometric variability and geographic occurrence of the species.

Seismic pattern in the southeast Baltic region prior to and during Kaliningrad earthquakes in 2004

The Kaliningrad earthquakes in September 2004 were unexpected due to their location, power, and timing in particular. Previously, this region (54.5 ° ‐56.5 ° N, 17.0 ° ‐24.0 ° E) was not considered seismically active, and the development of seismic process here was not described. During the preparation of a regional seismic catalogue, the main difficulty was to eliminate artificial events (explosions) [1]. The current work required special investigation to filter out possible explosions and distinguish tectonic earthquakes in the region in the years 1990‐2006. The catalog of all events in the vast region compiled by Lutikov et al. [2] was used as the initial data source. The sampling of time intervals and regions related to this study included 93 events. Since the major part of events with M ≤ 2.4 is most likely of artificial origin, they were excluded from the calculations. Events in the southern part of Latvia and near the border with Lithuania were also excluded because they make up clearly manifested clusters that coincide in space with open pits, where explosions are carried out [1]. Each of the remaining 37 events was subjected to special tests. The distribution of events by months, days of the week, and time of the day was compared with the distribution of the same events in the samplings for the Baltic region (before 1987) [3] and Fennoscandia in the 19th and 20th centuries (based on the Fincat catalogue for the data before 1940) (Fig. 1). During these periods, explosions played practically no role in the recorded shocks of the accepted magnitude level. The author carried out a special sorting of frost-related earthquakes in the past in the catalogue [3]. The annual distribution of a fortiori tectonic earthquakes over a long-term period in Fennoscandia and the Baltic region appeared quite uniform. This statement is also valid for the author’s catalogue for the southeastern Baltic region given that the major part of events in May and September corresponds to the seismic activity peaks in 1995 and 2004, respectively (see below). The diurnal distribution of tectonic earthquakes in the Fennoscandian and Baltic regions is also quite uniform, but the peaks are observed at night. The author’s catalogue of 37 events also shows a comparatively uniform distribution of this indicator. In contrast, catalogue [2] demonstrates sharp peaks of both parameters in the summer months and the daytime in the study region. This fact compels us to assume that catalogue [2] is strongly contaminated by technogenic events. Further analysis of catalogue [2] included the integrated examination of magnitudes, depths (if they were determined), locations of epicenters (in the sea or on land and individual or structured distribution), and existence of migration elements. Events with the hypocenter depth h ≥ 5 km and M ≥ 4 (particularly during nonworking days and hours) in the offshore zone located far from the known open pit mines were consid