Earthquake in Crimea in 1927: consequences. Projections for the future

To this day, there have been many reports of devastating earthquakes that occurred several millennia ago. They often became the reason that entire cities disappeared from the map, and the number of victims was estimated at tens of thousands of people.

"Troubled" regions exist on the territory of our country. This was recalled by the earthquake in the Crimea on May 13, 2016.

Causes

According to experts, in the area between Gurzuf and Yalta, in the Black Sea, there is a zone where the epicenters of the Crimean earthquakes are most often observed. Their centers, as a rule, are 10-40 km from the shore. In this case, they are fixed at a depth of 200-2000 m, on the steep slope of the Black Sea depression. It is there that the parts of the earth's crust that make oppositely directed vertical movements come into contact. They occur unevenly and are accompanied by earthquakes.

Another reason for the appearance of tremors in the Crimea is the uplift of the mountains, associated with the advancement of the seabed beneath them. Many millions of years ago, as a result of such processes, Piliaki, Sharkha, Ayu-Dag, Castel and others were formed, and the most powerful catastrophe caused the explosion of the volcano Karadag.

Another line of the most powerful latitudinal fault passes along the line "Simferopol-Bakhchisarai". In this zone, traces of ancient earthquakes in the form of deposits of igneous rocks in numerous quarries are also visible.

Seismic situation

At the moment, various physical and chemical processes continue to occur in the earth's crust under the Crimea peninsula and under the Black Sea bed.

As a result of powerful tectonic movements on the peninsula, organic materials (trees, marsh peat, lake silt, etc.) have got into faults in the earth's crust, their fermentation continues at great depth, and the formed liquid is ejected through mud volcanoes.

On the territory of the Crimea, earthquakes are also felt, the foci of which are removed from the peninsula by many hundreds or thousands of kilometers. For example, over the past decades an "echo" of 2-4 points has been observed due to earthquakes in Romania, Iraq and Turkey.

The most destructive earthquakes that occurred in the Crimea before the 18th century

It is believed that the first written mention of such a natural cataclysm is the entry in Paul Orosez's book "Against the Gentiles", written in the 5th century AD. E. In it he reports that in 63 BC. E. There was such a strong earthquake in the Crimea that many people died and entire cities were destroyed.

A similar catastrophe occurred in Chersonesos in September-October 480 AD. This event is reminiscent of the inscription found on the ruins of the city.

The following strong earthquakes were recorded in 1292 and in 1471. In addition, the work of Byzantine George Kedrin "History" mentions a natural disaster that occurred in 1341, when the peninsula was flooded at a distance of 10 versts (inland from the coast). Apparently, the epicenter was in the sea, which caused the appearance of a very high wave.

Earthquakes in the Crimea in the 18-19th centuries

Since the beginning of the 18th century, more detailed descriptions of seismic phenomena have been preserved. For example, the Russian naturalist of German descent P. Pallas gave a detailed description of the earthquakes of 1790 and 1793, and about the shocks recorded in 1802, P. Sumarokov left detailed evidence. And the latter observed them in Sevastopol, where the strength of the cataclysm was 6 points.

Particularly remembered for the inhabitants of the peninsula is the earthquake in the Crimea in 1838, which was felt not only in the settlements of the South coast, but also in Simferopol.

Another catastrophe occurred in 1869. Its epicenter was near Foros, it damaged the medieval Genoese buildings, causing panic among the population.

Seismic cataclysms that occurred in the early 20th century

The first strong enough earthquake was recorded in January 1902. Fortunately, it did not become the cause of the victims and destruction. Also, the tremors were noted on May 18, 1908. In addition, the records of the archives of the office of the Tauride Governor have a record of an earthquake with a punching force of 5-6 points, which was observed on October 24, 1908.

A lot of evidence has been preserved about the catastrophe that happened on December 26, 1919. This earthquake in the Crimea was accompanied by a storm of extraordinary strength. He caused destruction in the Yalta port and damage to the telegraph network.

The first earthquake in the Crimea in 1927

During the summer and autumn, increased seismic activity was observed in the region. At the time of the earthquake, which took place at 13 hours 21 minutes on June 26, 1927, fishermen noticed that in clear weather the sea seemed to boil, and then there was a loud noise. He was so loud that he deafened those who bathed.

The earthquake in Crimea in 1927 was preceded by the appearance of a long strip of foam stretching across the coast, in the bay between Cape Plaka and Ayu-Dag.

As a result of the tremors, large landslides were recorded in the vicinity of Sevastopol, where cracks appeared in many houses. In addition, the buildings of one of the temples and the post were damaged. Panic began, and the tourists quickly left the resorts of the peninsula. As the newspapers of the time reported, the total amount of losses exceeded 1 million rubles.

The strongest earthquake in Crimea

None of the described natural disasters can be compared in terms of damage to what happened on the peninsula on the night of 11 to 12 September 1927. The epicenter was located to the south of Yalta, under the seabed, and was stretched along the coast. It is established that the second earthquake in the Crimea in 1927 had a power of 9 points.

Its first signs were noticed by local residents and vacationers at about 8 pm. In particular, peasants and collective farmers noticed that pets became noticeably worried: horses were neighing and trying to escape from the stables, cows were constantly mooing, and dogs and cats tried to keep close to the owners.

Fishermen, who went to night fishing, heard a buzz on the sea in the area between Sudak and Alushta. In addition, they were frightened by the "boiling" of the sea, and at midnight dogs howled in all the settlements along the coast. 15 minutes after midnight, there was a loud rumbling, the earth hesitated. The second push occurred 10 seconds after the first, and after it there were several more oscillations of the earth's solid. The sea first departed from the shore, and then collapsed on the sand with a high wave. In the mountains there was a roar of landslides.

This is the strongest earthquake in the Crimea, to which Petrov-Vodkin devoted one of his canvases, caused a lot of destruction. In Alushta, the Genoese Tower and several hotels were damaged, in Alupka - a mosque and the Vorontsov Palace. In the vicinity of Yalta nearly 70 percent of the buildings have suffered, and in the city itself there are hotels "Yalta" and "Russia", as well as residential buildings.

Earthquakes that occurred during the last half century

The peninsula continues to be a seismically dangerous zone and at the moment. After another earthquake occurred in the Crimea (1990), many began to treat the seismic hazard lightly. And this is natural, since eyewitnesses of the catastrophe of 1927 almost did not survive, and the last tremors recorded in the 20th century turned out to be rather weak. The earthquake in the Crimea on May 13, 2016 was not marked by destruction, and as a result of which the Crimeans got off only with a mild fright. However, experts do not advise to relax. After all, at any moment a sufficiently strong earthquake can occur in the Crimea. The forecast of some seismologists is disappointing, since almost 80 years have passed since the last strong cataclysm, and, as practice shows, they happen even with a smaller frequency. Even if you consider that these experts are mistaken, you need to understand that earthquakes are unpredictable, and in such corners of the planet as the Crimea, they can happen at any moment.