Scientist answered questions about earthquakes possibility in Bashkiria

For several days now, information has been coming in about new victims and destruction caused by the largest earthquake in Turkey in several decades.

What could have caused such a large-scale natural disaster, and is it possible in Bashkiria? Bashinform News Agency asked an expert from the Ufa University of Science and Technology, associate professor Vladimir Nikonov to answer these questions.

“Earthquakes are caused by the constant movement of rock masses in the earth's crust, the movement of large lithospheric plates, including continents. In most cases, we do not notice these movements because they occur slowly and smoothly, literally a centimeter per year. But it happens that the plate's movement encounters some obstacle, and then the effect of a compressed spring is triggered. The plate continues to move and is resisted by another plate, and the giant volume of rock turns into a compressed spring. This voltage is discharged in the form of a sharp shock. An instantaneous explosion occurs with the displacement of a significant volume of rock in the bowels. And if this happens at a significantly shallow depth, then a disaster occurs. The earthquake's focus in Turkey was at a depth of only 15-20 km - this is too small a distance for the overlying rocks to soften the blow. Elastic waves reached the surface and caused huge destruction,” the expert explained.

As for Bashkiria, according to Vladimir Nikonov, an increased but not dangerous seismic intensity in the region is recorded at the border of the western foot of the Ural Mountains and the adjacent plain. For example, earthquakes of magnitude 2 to 4 sometimes occur in Meleuz and to the north.

“I always tell my students that earthquakes and volcanoes are the main sculptors that created our planet. But it is better to observe this sculptor's work at a great distance,” commented the scientist.

An extensive article by Bashinform News Agency about why earthquakes are typically in Bashkiria is read here.