Speaking to Modern.az about the causes of the recent seismic activity observed in the Caspian Sea, Vusala Rafiqqizi, head of department at the Republican Seismological Service Center under the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, stated that the Caspian Sea is one of Azerbaijan's seismically active regions.
“First of all, I would like to note that the Caspian Sea is one of our seismically active regions. Earthquakes are recorded here from time to time. Tremors with a magnitude of 3 and above regularly occur in the Caspian Sea, and we constantly inform the public about this.
In recent days, a certain increase in the number of earthquakes has been observed, which is related to the increase in activity in the area. I must note that since information is provided about all earthquakes with a magnitude of 3 and above, the flow of information also increases. This can cause some concern among people.”
V.Rafiqqizi also emphasized that the strongest earthquake recorded in the last 10 days occurred on April 8:
“On April 8, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 was recorded in the southern zone of the Caspian Sea. This tremor was felt with a force of 3-4 points in some settlements in the southern region. Later, on April 12, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.6 occurred, which had almost no effect on the land area.”
According to her, such activity is considered normal for seismic regions:
“If an area is seismically active, it is natural for earthquakes to occur there from time to time. In this case, both weak and moderate magnitude tremors are observed. The main point is that the energy accumulated in the focus is gradually released as a result of these earthquakes. The fragmentation process takes place, and after a while, the intensity of the tremors begins to weaken. The tremors recorded after the 5.3 magnitude earthquake on April 8 are of lower magnitude. Currently, mainly small tremors close to magnitude 3 are observed, which have no effect on land areas.”
The head of the department also added that numerous aftershocks are recorded in the Caspian Sea:
“In recent days, nearly 500 small tremors, i.e., aftershocks, have been recorded in that area. The process continues, and this indicates that energy is being released in the focus.”
V.Rafiqqizi also clarified the issue of earthquake prediction:
“In general, there is no precise prediction for earthquakes. Long-term and medium-term forecasts exist, which only express general probabilities related to the seismic activity of the area. It is not possible in any country in the world today to say the exact day, hour, epicenter, and magnitude of an earthquake.
The main reason for this is that earthquake foci are located in the deep layers of the earth - sometimes tens, even hundreds of kilometers deep. For this reason, it is not possible to monitor these processes with complete accuracy and predict the outcome in advance.”
She noted that Azerbaijan is generally located in a seismically active zone:
“Earthquakes are also recorded in various regions of Azerbaijan from time to time. For example, in March, an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.2 occurred on the Lerik-Lankaran border. Tremors above 3 and 3.2 were also observed in other areas. In general, if an area is seismically active, such occurrences are normal. The high number of earthquakes in the Caspian Sea in recent days also indicates that active processes are taking place in that area. Currently, the tremors occurring have no effect on land areas,” she concluded.
For information, an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 was recorded in the Caspian Sea yesterday morning.
