Abstract Being a part of ongoing continental collision between the Arabian and Eurasian plates, the Caucasus region is a remarkable site of moderate to strong seismicity, where devastating earthquakes caused significant losses of lives and livelihood. In this article, we survey geology and geodynamics of the Caucasus and its surroundings; magmatism and heat flow; active tectonics and tectonic stresses caused by the collision and shortening; gravity and density models; and overview recent geodetic studies related to regional movements. The tectonic development of the Caucasus region in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic times as well as the underlying dynamics controlling its development are complicated processes. It is clear that the collision is responsible for a topographic uplift / inversion and for the formation of the fold-and-thrust belts of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. Tectonic deformations in the region is influenced by the wedge-shaped rigid Arabian block indenting into the relatively mobile region and producing near N-S compressional stress and seismicity in the Caucasus. Regional seismicity is analysed with an attention to sub-crustal seismicity under the northern foothills of the Greater Caucasus, which origin is unclear – whether the seismicity associated with a descending oceanic crust or thinned continental crust. Recent seismic tomography studies are in favour of the detachment of a lithospheric root beneath the Lesser and Greater Caucasus. The knowledge of geodynamics, seismicity, and stress regime in the Caucasus region assists in an assessment of seismic hazard and risk. We look finally at existing gaps in the current knowledge and identify the problems, which may improve our understanding of the regional evolution, active tectonics, geodynamics, shallow and deeper seismicity, and surface manifestations of the lithosphere dynamics. Among the gaps are those related to uncertainties in regional geodynamic and tectonic evolution (e.g., continental collision and associated shortening and exhumation, lithosphere structure, deformation and strain-stress partitioning) and to the lack of comprehensive datasets (e.g., regional seismic catalogues, seismic, gravity and geodetic surveys).

中文翻译：

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高加索的地球动力学、地震活动和地震灾害

摘要 高加索地区是阿拉伯板块和欧亚板块之间正在进行的大陆碰撞的一部分，是一个显着的中强地震活动场所，破坏性地震造成了重大的生命和生计损失。在本文中，我们调查了高加索及其周边地区的地质和地球动力学；岩浆活动和热流；由碰撞和缩短引起的活动构造和构造应力；重力和密度模型；并概述最近与区域运动有关的大地测量研究。中新生代高加索地区的构造发展及其背后的动力学控制是一个复杂的过程。很明显，碰撞是造成地形抬升/反转以及大高加索和小高加索褶皱冲断带形成的原因。该地区的构造变形受到楔形刚性阿拉伯块体的影响，该块体凹入相对移动的地区并在高加索产生近 NS 压缩应力和地震活动。分析区域地震活动，关注大高加索北部山麓下的亚地壳地震活动，其起源尚不清楚——地震活动是否与下降的海洋地壳或变薄的大陆地壳有关。最近的地震层析成像研究支持小高加索和大高加索下方岩石圈根部的脱离。地球动力学、地震活动的知识，高加索地区的应力状态有助于评估地震危害和风险。我们最终审视了当前知识中存在的空白并找出了问题，这可能会提高我们对区域演化、活动构造、地球动力学、浅层和深层地震活动以及岩石圈动力学的地表表现的理解。差距包括与区域地球动力学和构造演化的不确定性（例如，大陆碰撞和相关的缩短和剥脱、岩石圈结构、变形和应变应力划分）以及缺乏综合数据集（例如，区域地震目录、地震、重力和大地测量）。这可能会提高我们对区域演化、活动构造、地球动力学、浅层和深层地震活动以及岩石圈动力学的地表表现的理解。差距包括与区域地球动力学和构造演化的不确定性（例如，大陆碰撞和相关的缩短和剥脱、岩石圈结构、变形和应变应力划分）以及缺乏综合数据集（例如，区域地震目录、地震、重力和大地测量）。这可能会提高我们对区域演化、活动构造、地球动力学、浅层和深层地震活动以及岩石圈动力学的地表表现的理解。差距包括与区域地球动力学和构造演化的不确定性（例如，大陆碰撞和相关的缩短和剥脱、岩石圈结构、变形和应变应力划分）以及缺乏综合数据集（例如，区域地震目录、地震、重力和大地测量）。