In Irkutsk, an earthquake that worried the whole city

In Irkutsk, the earthquake occurred on February 4, 2016 in the dead of night: at 2:30. It was a powerful surge of tectonic activity. The push from the bowels of the earth was very strong.

Cause

The earthquake in Irkutsk in February happened because a tremendous shake occurred in the epicenter located on the territory of Lake Baikal. This phenomenon was investigated by the laboratory for working with seismic resistant structures. As a result, experts say that the cause of concern should not be caused by what happened. Characterizing a formidable phenomenon, the candidate of mineralogical and geological sciences Yu. Berzhinsky insists that there was no serious danger to people's lives. At a power of 8 points on the Richter scale, destruction would be unavoidable, however, the earthquake in Irkutsk at night did not exceed a 6-point mark.

Most of all, the influence of underground processes could be felt while staying in Novo-Lenino or in Lower Lisich. In Irkutsk, the earthquake has manifested itself in these regions quite brightly, because there is a bypass road nearby, and half-scalled soils come out almost to the surface of the earth.

Maximum force of pushes

In Irkutsk, the earthquake was especially strong near the Lower Lisichi, because there is a lively building process there. This territory is considered not very favorable from the seismic point of view. But despite this, there is still an active construction of skyscrapers.

Investigating the question of how many points the earthquake in Irkutsk was, it is, of course, worth paying attention to the epicenter, the magnitude of which reached the point of 6 points. In other areas there were different indicators: Novo-Lenino - 3, Lower Lisichi - 5 points.

Level of impact

The earthquake in Irkutsk in February did not reach a critical point, but if the center has 8 points, then in the most sensitive areas a dangerous situation can arise . When the shocks exceed the permissible values, such a surge can cause significant damage to the city and its environs.

The most stable in terms of seismic activity is the area of Sunny. There residents could ask whether there was an earthquake in Irkutsk.

Right-bank district stood up at rather strong shocks. In this area, the groundwater does not go very deep, which determines its high sensitivity to seismic bursts.

Research

Seismologists were preparing for this accident ahead of time, so the events of that night were not unexpected for anyone. In Irkutsk, the earthquake was predicted with high accuracy, and its possible consequences were predicted, including the destruction of specific elements of architecture.

Fortunately, it did not come to this, since the seismograph did not score 8 points, and before reaching this mark there is no big threat to the environment and the infrastructure of the city. The magnitude remained within reasonable limits, however, considering that it was winter, there are significant inconveniences with a formidable phenomenon: the city residents' stay in the frost was a problem. And then, no matter how weak the push, but the swaying chandelier is enough to cause a serious panic.

Therefore, people were informed in advance that there could be an earthquake in Irkutsk at night, after all, with 6-gallon jerks, it is still desirable to leave the dwelling. It was not necessary to speak about the destruction of houses, but there was a possibility of occurrence of cracks on the walls, so that all security measures were used.

Experience of the past

A similar event was already taking place in February 1999. Then, at the bottom of Lake Baikal not far from Listvyanka, at a distance of 25 km from the west coast, the epicenter of the seismic burst opened. It occurred about the same time - around 3 o'clock in the morning. People in horror left their homes and all night were forced to be in captivity 25-degree frost.

Naturally, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were involved. The townspeople did not want to return to the apartments for a long time, although the buildings were not threatened with collapse. The most important thing in such situations is not to panic. Even before the incident in 2016, seismologists analyzed all possible consequences, and the results of their work were printed in newspapers and sounded on local radio stations. The danger threatened only those buildings that were built of concrete of poor quality. Monolithic cinder block also could quickly collapse.

Risk Factors

Also there were buildings in an emergency condition, which they did not manage to demolish. They posed a serious threat, because such houses about 6% of the total housing stock, which greatly increases the danger in the earthquake. Of course, in calm times, these structures are quite firm and do not give hints of dilapidation, but it should be borne in mind that circumstances may change with a 6-point seismic surge.

The elements showed that the buildings of half a century ago should be changed as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences in such situations can be deplorable and bring considerable losses and human sacrifices.

Among other things, the threat was that the houses that were built during the last twenty years were not tested for strength. They did not collapse, but the fluctuations carried out by the earth's crust were a dangerous factor for them.

It should be noted that the earthquake did not cause significant damage to the city, there are also no victims, but there is a serious reason to think about security, because history shows that this is a recurring phenomenon. Therefore, the number of concerns for the city administration has increased: many buildings require demolition or reinforcement, and places of construction - additional verification.