1997/04/01 by N. N. Ambraseys · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · #earthquake and tectonic studies #High-pressure geophysics and materials #Earthquake Detection and Analysis
paper · doi:10.1080/13632469708962370
openalex publication_date 1997/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The Krasnovodsk earthquake of 8 July 1895 occurred on the extension of the Kopet Dagh fault zone, which is on the border of Iran at the edge of the Turan plate, locally the north-eastern limit of the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt. This is a major basement structure that separates the stable Turan plate from the Kopet Dagh mountain range, and has a relatively low level of seismicity compared to the Kopet Dagh folded zone. However, it is capable of generating infrequent large earthquakes. Until recently, the Krasnovodsk earthquake of 1895 was considered to be a large sub-crustal event with a magnitude of 8.2. We re-examine this earthquake using additional macroseismic and early instrumental data and conclude that this was a crust al event of magnitude not exceeding Ms 7.4. We find that in the near-field, much of the destruction it caused was due to ground liquefaction, and that the very strong asymmetry in the distribution of intensity displayed in the far-field between the north and south parts of the felt area is consistent with the slow and fast attenuation associated with the stable continental region of Russia and the deformed crust of Iran, respectively.