Earthquakes in Russia happen quite often. Residents of the central strip have little idea of what it is. But still, many understand that this is a destructive element, from which it is sometimes almost impossible to escape. This article will talk about the most terrible and large-scale earthquakes in our country.
What is an earthquake?
This term literally means fluctuations in the surface of the Earth caused by the natural forces of nature. Sometimes they may be accompanied by large explosions or other artificial stimuli.
In terms of their destructive power, if we take, for example, the earthquake in Neftegorsk in 1995, these disasters occupy the main places. In the history of Russia and the world, there are many facts of the destructive power of nature - millions of victims around the globe and the consequences that completely disrupted the infrastructure of large cities and even countries.
Earthquake epicenter - the surface of the Earth, which is closest to the center of the natural phenomenon. At present, experts distinguish the following typesearthquakes:
- Volcanic, caused by volcanic eruptions.
- Artificial, which arise from the strongest explosions and subsequent shifts of underground plates.
- Technogenic - Earth tremors arising from human life processes.
Where do earthquakes happen in Russia?
Our country has repeatedly suffered from various natural disasters, including such a disaster that occurred in the city of Neftegorsk. The earthquake then destroyed the settlement and claimed a huge number of human lives. Other cities of the Sakhalin region are no exception.
The landscape of our country is diverse and great, just like the climatic zones. Basically, natural phenomena of this kind on the territory of the Russian Federation occur in mountainous areas. The leaders among those affected by such a natural disaster are:
- Kamchatka.
- Altai.
- Caucasus.
- Eastern Siberia.
This is not the whole list of territories where tremors are observed. In some areas, a small but constant seismic activity is recorded - these are the towns and cities of the Sakhalin Region and the territory of Kamchatka. Such activity is sometimes almost invisible to local residents, but this is not always the case.
Major earthquakes in Russia
In August 2005, a strong earthquake with an amplitude of about 7 points on the Richter scale occurred in the Uglegorsk region. It wasn'tas powerful and fast as the earthquake on Sakhalin (Neftegorsk, 1995), but still. During this natural phenomenon, many buildings and structures were destroyed. In addition, roads were destroyed by landslides that came down from the mountains.
In September 2003, an earthquake with a magnitude of about 7.5 occurred in six regions of the southern Altai. Then a series of natural phenomena, but of lesser force, were noted in the region. At the same time, earth tremors were also recorded in other areas:
- Novosibirsk region.
- Krasnoyarsk Territory.
- East Kazakhstan and others
Fortunately, there were no casu alties, but a few people were injured (slightly injured). The earthquake caused enormous damage to the republic in the amount of about one billion rubles.
In October 2008, an earthquake of magnitude 5 occurred in Chechnya in the North Caucasus. There were casu alties (13 dead), more than 100 people were injured. Tremors were also felt in Georgia, Dagestan, North Ossetia.
Earthquakes of the seventeenth century
As you know, fixing natural disasters, including earthquakes, began only three hundred years ago. This does not mean at all that until that time there were no underground strikes. It's all about the historical division of the territory. Until the 16th century, only the Central European part and the Volga region belonged to Russia. In these regions, earthquakes were minor and sometimes even imperceptible to people. The mountainous territories were included in the country only in the 18th century, respectively, and the report of natural disasters began precisely with thistime span.
The strongest earthquakes of the 18th century
Serious natural disasters periodically occurred on the territory of our country. A major earthquake in 1725, which occurred in Eastern Siberia, went down in history as the most destructive at that time. It became known about him from the stories of the naturalist D. Messerschmidt. According to the scientist, the force of the push was equal to 11 points. Examining his house, the naturalist noticed that huge cracks had formed in the structure. Since the regions of Eastern Siberia were not densely populated, the earthquake did not bring many victims. According to the notes of scientists and researchers, then such phenomena occurred quite often, but there were no serious consequences.
In 1761, a terrible earthquake with an amplitude of 11 points happened in Altai. The data has survived to this day thanks to the surviving reports of the military. The tremors were so strong that cracks formed in the ground, and the towers swayed and collapsed.
Earthquakes of the 19th and 20th centuries
Kamchatka is a region that is still considered a seismic hazard area to this day. The largest earthquakes are tremors in 1792 and 1841. According to the seismic shock classification, earthquakes were assigned a value of 8 on the Richter scale.
In the South of Russia, namely in the Caucasus, a terrible earthquake was recorded in 1970. Then the elements destroyed more than 250 settlements. Dagestan has lost more than thirty inhabitants. The magnitude of the shocks is 7 points. This earthquake was considered the mostdestructive in the history of the country.
January 1862 - that's when terrible seismic shocks began to crush the territory of Baikal. The catastrophic earthquake lasted three days. According to studies, its magnitude was 8-9 points. As a result of a natural disaster, the Tsagan steppe was flooded and part of the lake went underground.
Seismic activity in Russia
Earthquakes, tremors, vibrations of the Earth's surface can occur with a certain force. That is, sometimes the above phenomena are almost invisible, for people in particular. And sometimes this force is destructive, for example - Neftegorsk (Sakhalin). On the map of Russia, now such a settlement does not exist, or rather, no one lives there. The shocks in the indicated place were of such force that the integrity of the soil was violated, which led to the destruction of buildings and the death of people. Neftegorsk, where the earthquake claimed many lives, was practically wiped off the face of the earth. We will tell you more about it later.
The territory of our country has average seismic activity, despite the fact that some natural disasters have become real disasters. There are regions where the probability of an earthquake is very high. According to statistics, more than 40% of Russia's territory is at risk. These include regions where earthquakes of more than 6 points occur once every 500 years. 9% of the territory has a high earthquake class, that is, they belong to the zone with the maximum probability of frequent tremors - on the Richter scale, they reach 8-9 points. To suchparts of the mainland include Altai, the Sayan ridge, Baikal, the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, Transbaikalia and Sakhalin.
Recent earthquakes in Russia
What earthquakes have been in Russia recently? These natural disasters include the incident in Tuva. In 2012, an earthquake measuring 3.2 on the Richter scale was recorded near Kyzyl. It started at 7 o'clock in the morning. There were no casu alties due to the low magnitude of the earthquake. In the same region in 2011, there was a natural disaster of magnitude 9 in the epicenter and about 6 in the regions. Seismic activity continued from December to the end of February. But since the epicenter of this earthquake was located at a distance of more than 100 km from the nearest settlements, no casu alties and destruction were observed. But ground tremors could be felt in the following regions:
- Buryatia.
- Irkutsk region.
- Khakassia.
- Krasnodar Territory.
The main regions subject to seismic activity are marked, including Kyzyl, Sakhalin, on the map of Russia.
Neftegorsk
Neftegorsk, Sakhalin Region, is a small Russian town with a population of just over three thousand people. It was conceived as a rotational city of oilmen. Founded in 1964. But, as often happens, everything temporary becomes permanent. Why leave the city, where there is a permanent well-paid job, good housing? Especially since although it is a provincial town, it is very cozy and well-groomed, in which there are 4 kindergartens, a school, etc.
1995 was the year of unprecedented seismic activity in the Pacific Ocean. In winter, an earthquake in Japan claimed more than 5,000 lives. Russian seismologists expected tremors of the earth's surface both in the Far East and Kamchatka. No one imagined what Neftegorsk would soon turn into. A ghost town - this is what the place of existence of oil workers has become. Nobody expected an earthquake here. The north of Sakhalin has always been considered a zone of less seismic activity than the southern part or the Kuriles.
Neftegorsk: earthquake
It turned out to be unexpected, fast and scary. On the night of May 28, 1995, when the main population subsided, the village of Neftegorsk was almost completely destroyed on Sakhalin – a provincial small town. This earthquake is the most destructive in Russia in the 20th century. It claimed about 2 thousand lives. This settlement disappeared from the face of the Earth.
Neftegorsk earthquake (1995) Consequences
As a result of the Sakhalin earthquake collapsed:
- 17 five-storey panel houses.
- School.
- Bakery.
- Club.
- Dining room.
- Private sector homes.
- Bridges.
- Roads, etc.
One push was enough, and almost all the buildings with peacefully sleeping people turned into a pile of rubble. Over 2,300 people remained buried alive under them. A little more than 400 managed to get alivepeople, 37 of whom died in hospital.
The fate of the village
It was decided not to restore Neftegorsk. The earthquake erased this town from the map of Russia. In the same year, in the fall, it was completely eliminated. Now this place is a sandy desert with tombstones and a memorial complex. The slabs lie on the site of the former five-story buildings. And the memorial complex was opened in the place where the ball of school graduates, dedicated to the last bell, was held. Every year on May 28, people come to this place to bow and honor the memory of the dead.
