Seismicity of Belarus

The paper presents information on the seismic observation network of Belarus and describes in detail the development of instrumental observations in the region. The seismicity of the territory of Belarus has been thoroughly studied in recent years. The data available on earthquakes in the Belarussian territory were refined from literature and archive evidences, historical earthquakes near Mogilev were revealed. The Catalogue includes the results of continuous instrumental observations for 1965–2009 described in bulletins of seismic stations. An analysis of the location of earthquake epicenters suggests their uneven distribution over the area. Epicenters of low-magnitude earthquakes are abundant in the southern regions of Belarus and are confined to a zone of junction of the Pripyat Trough northwestern part and the Belarussian Anteclise. The induced seismicity of the Soligorsk mining region has been investigated. The investigation involved an analysis of dynamics of the annual space and time migration of epicenter grouping zones, which depends on the pattern of the induced changes of the present crust dynamic stress field. Seismic events are mainly confined to recent active fault zones

Kaliningrad earthquake of September 21, 2004 and seismic hazard forecast in the Belarusian-Baltic region

The paper deals with the earthquakes that took place in the Kaliningrad region (Russia) on 21 September 2004 and were felt in the territories of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus and Finland. Data on space and time co-ordinates and dynamic parameters of these earthquake foci available from  international centers and various seismological groups are analyzed. A degree of reliability of the results obtained is discussed.   The epicentral zone of the Kaliningrad earthquakes is found within the western part of the old East European Platform (EEP). The seismotectonic map presenting the territories of Belarus and the Baltic States was considered, and the Kaliningrad-Lithuanian potential seismogenic area was analyzed. Methods used to outline possible earthquake zones when seismic zoning of the  Belarusian-Baltic region was carried out were verified in practice and, actually, made possible a long-term forecast of earthquake origination in Kaliningrad

Characteristic features of induced seismic processes in mining regions exemplified by the potassium salt deposits in Belarus and Bulgaria

This work focuses on the assessment of seismic risk issues associated with the potassium salt deposit of Provadia and Soligorsk, with the monitoring provided by Belarusian and Bulgarian specialists in the framework of a bilateral project.  The long-term studies 1983-2005 of the only terrestrial Bulgarian salt deposit (Provadia, φ = 43.06ºN, λ = 27.45ºE) and Belarusian (Starobin φ = 52.84ºN, λ = 27.47ºE) in connection with the observed higher seismic activity and probable manifestations of technogenic seismicity in the region is presented.  The characteristic features of the seismic processes as the identity of the curves of recurrence of seismic events of the energy range of 4-8 are discussed. A quasi-periodic character of the seismicity activation in time against the general trend of seismicity activation is established. It is shown that the zones of the epicenters of the seismic events are larger that mining areas.  Some differences in the pattern of seismic processes, such as: 1. the seismic activity in the range of small energies (K=4-8) is higher in the Soligorsk region; 2. events of the higher energy class, K≯9 are characteristic of the Provadia region