On the Nature of Seismic Phenomena in Platform Areas: A Case Study of Belarus

Abstract

When compiling historical earthquake catalogs, the main problem is to validate the reliability of information to exclude false reports. Detailed descriptions from reliable sources contribute to more precise intensity assessment. Additionally, in low-active territories, very important problem of identifying the nature of the event has to be solved. Earthquakes generated by tectonic or other activity (such as landslides or karst collapses) may have similar descriptions. Recently, cryoseisms have also been considered a possible source of the ground surface shaking. Seismic events in Belarus reported based on noninstrumental data and having fundamentally different interpretations in different publications are studied. The analysis is based on original information from primary sources. It is shown that two out of four seismic events are cryoseisms, while the other two are not related to the territory of Belorussia.