Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

Azerbaijan, located in seismically active area, is hosting the 10^th International Seismological Workshop under this year’s title, “Modern methods of processing and interpretation of seismological data.”

The event is being held on September 14-18 with the support of the Republican Seismic Survey Center of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The workshop has gathered over 100 seismologists and experts from the U.S., Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Italy, the UK, etc.

Topics discussed at the workshop include recent seismic observations in Russia, Azerbaijan, and other CIS countries, new programs for processing and interpreting seismological data, features of Caucasian seismotectonics and their relation to seismic activity, the results of seismological observations in the Caucasus as well as methodical aspects of the magnitude estimation for the Caucasus region.

Opening the event, Vice-President of ANAS academician Ibrahim Guliyev and Director of the Geophysical Service of RAS, Alexey Malovichko, wished the workshop success. The importance of the seminar in terms of strengthening cooperation and mutual exchange of experience between seismologists of different countries was noted.

The scientific sessions discussed the history of seismic observation and research on seismology in Azerbaijan and Russia.

Providing information about the situation in Russia, Malovichko noted the presence of seismic risks in the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands, and the Caucasus region. It was reported that seismic activity in Russia was low in recent years.

Addressing the workshop, Republican Seismological Service Director Gurban Yetirmishli made a presentation on seismic activity in Azerbaijan.

He said that the instrumental observations in Azerbaijan started after a major earthquake in Shamakhi in 1902, when at the initiative of the Nobel brothers, seismic stations were installed in three places in Azerbaijan.

Yetirmishli said that Azerbaijan, a leader in the region in terms of economic development, has achieved progress in the field of seismology as well.

After a strong earthquake hit Baku in November 2000, a tender was issued for the modernization of seismic services of the country. Initially, fourteen sets of telemetry seismic stations manufactured by the American company Kinemetriks, working through satellite telemetry, were purchased for the Seismological Service.

To ensure a high level of seismological research, the number of telemetry seismic stations in Azerbaijan was increased to 35 in 2008.

Three deep-sea seismic stations have been installed for the first time in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. In addition, in order to expand geophysical investigations in Azerbaijan, the installation new GPS-stations have begun.

It was emphasized that improving the quality of comprehensive research conducted by the Seismological Service is of interest to foreign organizations.

The center cooperates with more than 20 seismological centers around the world, and is a member of four major international seismological organizations – the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, the U.S. the European Seismological Observation and Research Center, the European and Mediterranean Seismological Centre, and the European Seismological Commission.

Participants of the workshop will also visit the city of Shamakhi, one of the most seismically active zones in Azerbaijan.

Earlier this September, an earthquake measuring 7 on Richter scale at its epicenter was registered in Sheki region. The depth of the earthquake’s origin, or its hypocenter, was 13 kilometers, with a magnitude reaching 5.9. The aftershock was felt in the neighboring regions as well.

Following, an earthquake hit the Oghuz region near Sheki. The earthquake’s hypocenter was at a depth of 20 kilometers and had a magnitude of 3.3, however no tremors were felt.

Last year was marked with an intensification of seismic processes as well as the most powerful earthquakes that Azerbaijan has seen in the past 15 years.

Six earthquakes measuring over 5.0 on the Richter scale occurred in Azerbaijan in 2014, releasing a tremendous volume of energy.

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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar

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