A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of up to 7.5 is possible in Ukraine: geophysicist (map)
According to Volodymyr Shliakhovy, there may be several reasons for seismic activity.
In Ukraine, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7-7.5 may occur in the seismically active zone of Vrancha in the coming years. This was stated by candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, geophysicist Volodymyr Shlyakhovy v interview “Suspilne Poltava”, stressing that such an event poses a serious danger for the country.
Shlyakhovy said that 15 earthquakes have been recorded in Poltava Oblast over the past 14 years. The strongest of them occurred on February 3, 2015 near Gadyach, with the epicenter in Sumy Oblast. According to the Richter scale, this earthquake reached 4.7-4.8 points.
The geophysicist explained that there is constant tension and pressure in the earth’s bowels, which with additional disturbances can lead to earthquakes. Most of the earthquakes in the region occurred at depths between 5 and 11 kilometers, and all had a similar mechanism, indicating the same causes.
Earthquakes are recorded most often along the line Pereshchepyne – Karlivka – Zachepylivka. Scientists of the Poltava Gravimetric Observatory are investigating several potential factors that could have caused such movements of the Earth’s crust.
Shlyakhovy suggests that the seismic activity may be related to oil and gas production, although the wells do not reach such depths. He also noted that the number of earthquakes in Afghanistan and Iran increased with the beginning of military conflicts in these regions.
According to the seismographer, local authorities should be interested in determining the exact causes of earthquakes, because without additional funding, the scientific institution will not be able to draw accurate conclusions.
“We work mostly on enthusiasm. We used to have a group of 12 people doing research, but now only one or two people” Shlyakhovy noted.
The Poltava Gravimetric Observatory is the only scientific institution in the region that has been operating since 1927, conducting astronomical and tidal research. Since 1997, experimental works on the forecast of earthquakes have been conducted in the Poltava region.
