No abstract

Palaeoseismology studies the footprints of ancient earthquakes to improve the knowledge about the modern seismicity of the territory. A ground-penetrating radar (GPR), among other geophysical methods, is used for quick determination of shallow stratigraphy -displaced, oblique layers within the fault zone. GPR data interpretation from diverse and complex reflection patterns of the fault zone heavily depends on the interpreter's experience. The range of different fault zone parameters in which this method can be successfully applied has not yet been investigated. We used a numerical simulation of GPR data to determine how GPR images the elements of faults (fault plane, hanging wall, footwall) in comparison with other reflections. Furthermore, we studied which parameters have the most significant impact on GPR wave patterns. We performed a series of numerical models of a fault, changing its geometry with increasing complexity from elementary models to realistic ones. The resulting synthetic profiles allowed finding specific GPR signatures from the fault plane, the hanging wall and the footwall. We collected field GPR data from two different fault zones and examined them for verification.

Our study aimed to clarify the seismic potential of the Severobaikalsk fault and to discover the structural features of active faults on the NW shores of Lake Baikal. Seismogenic faults and large seismogravitational structures were mapped in the area of the Srednekedrovaya paleoseismodislocation, one of the most remarkable seismotectonic structures in the Baikal region. During the field trip, we tested the capacities of an OKO-2 georadar and an ABDL-Triton antenna used to study cross-sections of the Baikal ridge. Its slopes are steep, covered with Pinus pumila and abundant screes, many of which developed into boulder streams ('kurumnik'). The first studies of the Srednekedrovaya paleoseismodislocation were conducted by V.P. Solonenko and his team in 1964-1965. To some extent, this zone can be viewed as a reference object that can provide much information and thus deserves an in-depth investigation using new technologies. Our study combined the field observation and the interpretation of high-resolution satellite images provided by DigitalGlobe (US) and downloaded by SAS.Planet. The consolidated database was sufficient for constructing a new schematic map showing the seismogenic faults associated with the Srednekedrovaya paleoseismodislocation. The cumulative length of the ruptures observed on the surface amounted to almost 29.5 km. Some ruptures are separate from each other, and the rupture spacing ranges from the first tens of meters to the first kilometers. The width of the widest rupture zone is 1.9 km. The length of individual ruptures varies from 5.0 m to 2.7 km. Morphologically, the Srednekedrovaya paleoseismodislocation is represented by ledges and ditches that often comprise complex grabens disturbing the bedrock and slope deposits. The fault structure of this zone is a typical setting of orthogonal and slightly oblique crustal stretching, but its manifestation differs in the zone segments. In general, it is a combination of steeply dipping and listric faults traced to the depth of 13 m. In plan, the faults are observed to form the systems of subparallel ruptures that mainly strike at 30°. A linear relationship is established between the

—Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys in the area between Sherashevo and Inkino villages provide insights into the structure of the Delta Fault and allow estimating the amount of vertical slip caused by the M = 7.5 Tsagan earthquake of 12 January 1862. The surveys with shielded AB-90 and AB 250-M antennas of an OKO-2 georadar along five profiles spaced at 25 m reveal normal slip from 2.6 to 4.5 m in different segments of the main seismogenic fault. The surface rupture caused by the 1862 event is traceable in interpreted radar images together with subsidiary faults; some possibly resulted from the 1959 Middle Baikal earthquake (M = 6.8). The GPR data are used to construct a 3D model of the area, which illustrates the evolution of the Delta Fault scarp since the Tsagan earthquake. Much of surface rupture during the Tsagan event is due to gravity sliding, judging by the amount of displacement estimated from GPR, structural, and field data of different years. Comprehensive understanding of the displacement pattern along the seismogenic fault requires further study extended to other segments of the fault zone.

The geomorphic expression of active faulting and distinction of paleoseismic events in areas that are rapidly obscured by erosion/sedimentation still remains a considerable scientific problem. The present article discusses the revealing of surface faulting ruptures and their parameters to identify capable faults without trenching and to estimate the magnitude of earthquakes. The case study was at Cape Rytyi, located in Baikal-Lena Nature Reserve on the northwestern shore of Lake Baikal. Based on unmanned aerial photography, GPR, and structural observations, we mapped and investigated the relation between geomorphological forms and ruptures. The obtained results show that past landslides and paleoruptures at Cape Rytyi and its surroundings are associated with at least two earthquakes. The Mw of the earlier event was 7.3 (Ms = 7.4); the Mw of the later one was 7.1 (Ms = 7.3). The paleoruptures in the distal part of the delta of the Rita River and on the southeastern slope of the Baikal Ridge were included in the seismogenic rupture zone, which traces some 37 km along the Kocherikovsky fault. The approximate intervals in which earthquakes occurred are 12–5 ka and 4–0.3 ka, respectively. The applied analysis methods can be useful for paleoseismology and assessing seismic hazards in similar regions elsewhere.