Seismotectonic Setting of the Earthquake of August 7, 2016 and its Aftershocks

Abstract

On August 7, 2016, an earthquake with magnitude 4.8 occurred in the vicinity of the city of Mariupol close to the southern boundary of the East European Platform (EEP). The earthquake was accompanied by aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 2.2 to 3.9 that lasted for five days. This region experiences external influence from the neotectonically active Alpine zone, which is expressed in intraplate deformations, horizontal and vertical movements of the Earth’s surface, and seismicity. The sources of the earthquake and its aftershocks are located within the block bounded by the neotectonically active Maloyanisol, Kalmius, and Primorsky faults. In the axial part of the block, a seismogenic structure is traced by the submeridional Kalchik lineament zone identified by the combined analysis of geological and geophysical data and visual interpretation of the satellite image. This neotectonically active zone accommodates the epicenters of the main event and most of the aftershocks.