The United States Geological Survey
recorded a Magnitude 4.3 Earthquake at a depth of about 36.8km roughly 14
km off the coast of the Town of Anapa in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, slightly after 8.35 am local time (slightly after 5.35 am GMT) on Sunday 15 March 2020. There
are no reports of any damage or injuries relating to
this quake, but people have reported feeling it in Anapa.
The approximate location of the 15 March 2020 Black Sea Earthquake. USGS.
The Black Sea is largely upon the Eurasian Plate, as are Georgia and
Russia. Turkey, however, lies on a separate plate, the Anatolian Plate.
This is being pushed to the west by the northward movement of the
Arabian Plate, which is in turn being pushed by the African Plate,
further to the south. This creates as zone of faulting along the
northern part of Turkey, the North Anatolian Fault Zone, as the two
plates are pushed past one-another (transform faulting). This is not a
simple process, as the two plates constantly stick together, then break
apart as the pressure builds up, leading to Earthquakes, which can be
some distance from the actual fault zone.
How the movement of the Arabian Plate causes movement on the North Anatolian Fault Zone. Université Montpellier 2.
This northward movement of the African and Arabian Plates also causes
folding and uplift in the Caucasus Mountains, which separate Georgia
from Russia. Again this is not a smooth process, with the rocks sticking
together, then moving sharply as the pressure builds up enough to break
them appart, which can also lead to Earthquakes in the region.
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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