Abstract
Geological and geomorphic manifestations of the source of the earthquake that occurred in the southern Gorny Altai on September 27, 2003, are described. This earthquake, the strongest over the entire history of seismological observations, caused damage to buildings and structures in the Chuya and Kurai basins and was accompanied by exposure of its source at the surface with formation of a system of seismic ruptures trending in the northwestern direction. The linear zone of seismic rupture was traced for more than 70 km on the northern slopes of the North Chuya and South Chuya ranges, and a developed network of related splays was found. The secondary (gravitational and vibrational) seismic dislocations were expressed as downfalls, landslides, and gryphons in the pleistoseist zone. These dislocations occur over an area of approximately 90 × 25 km2 that broadly coincides with the region of quakes having intensities of IX–VII. The paleoseismogeological investigations performed in the source region of the 2003 earthquake have shown that seven seismic events with M = 7.0–8.0 occurred in its source over the last 5000 years with a 500-to 900-year recurrence period. The study of the tectonic setting of the earthquake source in the Gorny Altai has allowed northward tracing of the main seismically active zones of the Mongolian and Gobi Altai, where earthquakes with a magnitude M > 7.0 occurred repeatedly, in particular, during the 20th century, and combination of all mountain systems of the Greater Altai into a common high-magnitude seismotectonic province.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
S. S. Aref’ev, V. V. Pogrebchenko, Zh. Ya. Aptekman, et al., “Preliminary Results of Seismological Observations in the Epicentral Zone of the Altai Earthquake,” in Strong Earthquake in the Altai on September 27, 2003: Results of Preliminary Study (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 2004), pp. 61–68 [in Russian].
B. M. Bogachkin, Cenozoic History of Tectonic Evolution of the Gorny Altai (Nauka, Moscow, 1981) [in Russian].
B. M. Bogachkin, A. M. Korzhenkov, E. Mamyrov, et al., “The Structure of the 1992 Susamyr Earthquake Source Based on Its Geological and Seismological Manifestations,” Fiz. Zemli 33(11), 3–18 (1997) [Izv. Phys. Solid Earth 33 (11), 867–882, 1997].
M. M. Buslov, V. S. Zykin, I. S. Novikov, and D. Delvaux, “Structural and Geodynamic Features of the Formation of the Chuya Intermontane Basin in Cenozoic,” Geol. Geofiz. 40(2), 1720–1736 (1999).
V. V. Butvilovsky, The Last Glacial and Holocene Paleogeography of the Altai: A Model of Events and Catastrophes (Tomsk State Univ., Tomsk, 1993) [in Russian].
A. R. Geodakov, A. N. Ovsyuchenko, S. G. Platonova, and E. A. Rogozhin, “Results of the Preliminary Study of Strong Earthquake 2003 in Gorny Altai,” Vestn. Otd. Nauk Zemle Ross. Akad. Nauk: Elektr. Nauchno-Inform. Zh., No. 1 (21), (2003) http://www.scgis.ru/russian/cp1251/h_dgggms/1-2003/screp-8.pdf.
S. V. Gol’din, V. S. Seleznev, A. V. Emanov, et al., “Chuya Earthquake 2003,” Vestn. Otd. Nauk Zemle Ross. Akad. Nauk: Elektr. Nauchno-Inform. Zh., No. 1(21) (2003). http://www.scgis.ru/russian/cp1251/h_dgggms/1-2003/screp-7.pdf.
S. V. Gol’din, V. S. Seleznev, A. V. Emanov, et al., “Chuya (Altai) Earthquake 2003: Results of Seismologic Study,” in Strong Earthquake in the Altai on September 27, 2003: Results of Preliminary Study (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 2004), pp. 55–60 [in Russian].
E. V. Devyatkin, Cenozoic Deposits and Neotectonics of the Southeastern Altai (Nauka, Moscow, 1965) [in Russian].
A. A. Emanov and E. V. Leskova, “Structural Features of Aftershock Processes of the Chuya (Altai) Earthquake 2003,” in Strong Earthquake in the Altai on September 27, 2003: Results of Preliminary Study (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 2004), pp. 83–91 [in Russian].
A. I. Zakharova and E. A. Rogozhin, “Seismic Regime of the Gorny Altai and Strong Earthquake 2003,” in Strong Earthquake in the Altai on September 27, 2003: Results of Preliminary Study (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 2004), pp. 50–54 [in Russian].
Earthquakes and Principles of Seismic Demarcation of Mongolia, Ed. by V. P. Solonenko and N. A. Florensov (Nauka, Moscow, 1985) [in Russian].
V. E. Kats and M. S. Dostovalova, “Evolution of Icing Processes in the Epicentral Zone of the Altai Earthquake 2003,” in Strong Earthquake in the Altai on September 27, 2003: Results of Preliminary Study (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 2004), pp. 104–110 [in Russian].
V. I. Ulomov and L. S. Shumilina, A Package of Maps of the General Seismic Demarcation of Territory of the Russian Federation (GSD-97). Scale 1: 8000 000. Explanatory Notes and the List of Cities and Settlements Located in Seismically Hazardous Regions (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 1999) [in Russian].
A. I. Lutikov, G. Yu. Dontsova, and S. L. Yunga, “Seismological Analysis of the 2003 Altai Earthquake,” in Strong Earthquake in the Altai on September 27, 2003: Results of Preliminary Study (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 2004), pp. 38–49 [in Russian].
P. Molnar, R. A. Kurushin, V. M. Kochetkov, et al., “Deformation and Faulting during Strong Earthquakes in the Mongolian-Siberian Region,” in Deep Structure and Geodynamics of the Mongolian-Siberian Region (Nauka, Novosibirsk, 1995), pp. 5–55 [in Russian].
E. A. Rogozhin and B. M. Bogachkin, “Alpine Tectonics and Neotectonics of the Racha Earthquake Area,” Fiz. Zemli 29(3), 3–11 (1993).
E. A. Rogozhin, B. M. Bogachkin, L. I. Ioganson, et al., “Experience in Allocating and Tracing Epicentral Zones by Geologic-Tectonic Analysis in Western Mongolia and Zaisan-Altai Fold System,” in Seismicity and Seismic Demarcation of Northern Eurasia (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 1995), Issue 2/3, pp. 132–152 [in Russian].
E. A. Rogozhin and A. I. Zakharova, “Paleoearthquakes and Seismic Regime of Gorny Altai in the Holocene,” Dokl. Akad. Nauk 388(6), 809–811 (2003) [Dokl. Earth Sci. 389 (2), 233–234 (2003)].
E. A. Rogozhin, A. N. Ovsyuchenko, A. V. Marakhanov, et al., “Tectonic Setting and Geological Manifestations of the Altai Earthquake in 2003,” in Strong Earthquake in the Altai on September 27, 2003: Results of Preliminary Study (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 2004), pp. 25–37 [in Russian].
E. A. Rogozhin and S. G. Platonova, Source Zones of Strong Earthquakes in Gorny Altai in the Holocene (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 2002) [in Russian].
O. E. Starovoit, L. S. Chepkunas, and I. P. Gabsatarova, “Parameters of the Altai Earthquake 2003 and Its After-shocks from Teleseismic Data,” in Strong Earthquake in the Altai on September 27, 2003: Results of Preliminary Study (Inst. Physics of the Earth, Moscow, 2004), pp. 14–24 [in Russian].
S. L. Yunga, “Seismotectonic Deformation of the Northern Eurasian Foldbelts in the Neotectonic Phase,” Fizika Zemli 32(12), 37–58 (1996) [Izv. Phys. Solid Earth 32 (12), 955–974, (1996)].
I. G. Dricker, L. P. Vinnik, E. A. Rogozhin, et al., “Upper-Mantle Anisotropy beneath the Altai-Sayan Region of Central Asia,” Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 131, 205–223 (2002).
Ge Shumo, Bo Meixiang, Zheng Fuwan, and Luo Fuzhong, “The Koktogay-Ertai Fault, Xinjiang, China,” J. Earth. Pred. Res. 5(4), 470–504 (1996).
A. M. Michetti, D. Esposito, E. A. Rogozhin, et al., An Innovative Approach for Assessing Earthquake Intensities Based on Seismically-Induced Ground Effects in Natural Environment (Carta Geol. D’ Italia, Roma, 2004), Vol. LXYII (Special Paper).
D. L. Wells and K. J. Coppersmith, “New Empirical Relationships among Magnitude, Rupture Length, Rupture Width, Rupture Area, and Surface Displacement,” Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 84(4), 974–1002 (1994).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Original Russian Text © E.A. Rogozhin, A.N. Ovsyuchenko, A.V. Marakhanov, E.A. Ushanova, 2007, published in Geotektonika, 2007, No. 2, pp. 3–22.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rogozhin, E.A., Ovsyuchenko, A.N., Marakhanov, A.V. et al. Tectonic setting and geological manifestations of the 2003 Altai earthquake. Geotecton. 41, 87–104 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1134/S001685210702001X
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S001685210702001X