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The Earthquake of September 16, 2020 in the Kirov–Kazhim Aulacogen

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Abstract

On September 16, 2020, an earthquake was registered in the Slobodskoi district of Kirov Oblast. The instrumental data were processed on the basis of seismograms from 11 stations with epicentral distances from 69 to 660 km that cover the azimuthal range of 1.4°–322.8°, GAP = 124°. The earthquake is classified as a tectonic one and has the following parameters: coordinates 58.755° N, 50.588° E; time in the source t0 = 01:04:44 (UTC); depth h = 6 km; energy class, after T.G. Rautian, KP = 9.4; ML = 3.2, and MS = 2.4; the error ellipsis parameters are AzMajor = 20°; RMinor = 4.5 km, RMajor = 7.3 km. The event was not felt by residents of the nearby localities, probably due to the fact that the seismic event was of low magnitude and occurred at night. In terms of tectonics, the earthquake of September 16, 2020 was confined to the Kirov–Kazhim aulacogen, which is, in turn, is located within the Volga-Ural anteclise of the Russian plate of the East European platform (EEP). Historical earthquakes are known near the epicentral area of the event, as well as instrumental ones with ML = 2.6–3.4. The Verkhoshizhemskoe earthquake of 2000 with I = V and two earthquakes with I = VII (1939 Sysola and 1897 Vyatka events) with documented macroseismic manifestations are the remarkable major events in the study area. Earthquakes occur mainly at the sides of the aulacogen and are probably confined to the northeast-trending faults that control the most submerged central graben of the aulacogen. The occurrence of seismic events within the EEP indicates that it is a fairly mobile structure, especially in its marginal parts.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author is grateful to I.P. Gabsatarova, head of the Laboratory of Regional Seismic Studies, United Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Obninsk), for useful discussions on this topic and is also grateful to her colleagues from the United Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences divisions in Perm and Arkhangelsk for access to the seismic records of earthquakes.

Funding

This work was implemented in the framework of state contract no. AAAA-A17-117121270035-0 for the Komi Science Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

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  1. Institute of Geology of Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 167982, Syktyvkar, Russia

    N. N. Noskova

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Translated by N. Astafiev

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Noskova, N.N. The Earthquake of September 16, 2020 in the Kirov–Kazhim Aulacogen. Seism. Instr. 57, 360–367 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3103/S0747923921030105

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