The participants of the First BSEC International Workshop on the problems of seismicity in the Black Sea and Balkan Region representing seismological and earthquake engineering organizations and specialists dealing with consequences of natural catastrophes and technological hazards from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Ukraine in close cooperation with Association of seismological institutions of the USA and other organizations considered:

• problems of the Black Sea and Balkan region seismicity;
• methods of forecasting and preventing seismological disasters and the elimination of their consequences, including seismological constructing means;
• technical means, devices and equipment at the disposal of seismic services as well as the economic state;

The participants of the Workshop state that the Governments of the BSEC member states are concerned with seismic situation in their region, which causes heavy material damages and human losses, and that they provide assistance to seismological institutes and organizations.

A number of countries have achieved the significant results in this field. They were announced by the members of the workshop. Their brief description is given hereafter.

 

Albania

Seismological Institute of Academy of Science of Albania is the only Research Institute in Albania dealing with studies on Seismicity, Seismic Construction and Earthquake Engineering. There are 13 permanent seismological station installed in the country, a strong motion network of about 30 strong motion accelerographs, which need to be renovated with new technology. For a moment the work for the installation of a telemetred local network around Tirana and a new network of 7 stations with telephone link is going on.

During the last 20 years studies on seismic microzoning were carried out for some important cities and town of the country as: Tirana City (capital) (1988), Vlora City (1984), Durres City (1985, 1989), Shkodra City (1986), Korca City (1989), the town of Pogradeci (1990), the town of Fieri (1991), Tirana - Vore - Durres corridor (1998).

According to the law on urban planning, the Seismological Institute is performing engineering - seismological studies for sites under construction of the buildings higher than 8 stories and important structures.

Concerning the emergency situations they are under responsibilities of Directory for Emergency situations in the Ministry of Local Powers.

 

Armenia

The Armenian National Survey for Seismic Protection (NSSP) has achieved significant achievements in the field of seismic risk reduction.

The main of them are:

• development of the seismic risk reduction programme, including all the elements of seismic protection;
• seismic hazard assessment in the 1:1000000 scale for the Crimea-Caicasus-Kopetdagh test areas (the works were carried out within the GSHAP framework; INTAS grant No. 94-1644, in collaboration with seismic organizations of Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the Ukraine);
• seismic hazard assessment for the territory of Armenia at 1:500,000 scale according to international standards;
• seismic risk assessment for the territory of Armenia;
• participation in the development of new earthquake engineering codes together with the Ministry of Urban Planning of Armenia and other Armenian organizations;
• development, testing and practical implementation of improving new methods of seismic resistance improvement of existing buildings without evacuating of tenants from buildings in earthquake zone with the assistance of Ministry of Urban Planning (World Bank credits);
• development and step by step realization of the population and the State Government bodies preparedness programme for the activities before, during and after the earthquake;
• creation of a multiparameter observation network consisting of more then 150 observation stations for monitoring lithosphere that are integrated to the global networks;
• development of new technology of seismic hazard assessment that includes new methods of observation, data processing and analyses;
• early warning system development.

 

Azerbaijan

The organizations of the Academy of Science, State Committee on Construction, State Committee on Geology, and Oil Concern deal with problems of seismology and earthquake-proof in Azerbaijan. Monitoring of seismic activity of the whole territory is being carried out, the reaction of constructions on seismic influences is being studied, high earthquake proof constructions and special measures for reducing of earthquake shocks influence on erecting buildings are carried out.

 

Bulgaria

The main activities of the Central Laboratory for Seismic Mechanics and Earthquake Engineering Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Seismic risk assessment of urban areas, buildings and structures.

• Monitoring of strong ground motions.
• Reducing the devastating effects of the earthquakes.
• Elaboration of standard documents for design and construction in seismic regions.

The main activities of the Geophysical Institute of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

• Monitoring of the local, regional and global seismicity.
• Investigations in the field of seismic zoning and earthquake hazard.
• Research about the physics of the earthquake source, wave propagation and deep earth's structure.
• Students and people education for earthquake preparedness and prevention activities.
• Modeling and estimations of the earthquake losses.

 

Georgia

Georgian Institutes of Academy of Science and non-governmental organizations dealing with problems of seismicity pay much attention to the detailed study of seismic processes, seismic hazard and risk assessment, earthquake prediction, seismic microzonation, taking into account non-linear and non-elastic properties, creation of new National Building Codes and use of new technologies (GIS, remote sensing etc.).

 

Greece

Greece and the surrounding Aegean area have the highest seismic activity in the whole western Eurasia. To face the needs for seismic risk mitigation, the Geophysical Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, (GLAUTh), has made significant progress towards long term earthquake forecasting. A - Time dependent seismicity model has been proposed and applied in almost all areas of the world where strong earthquakes occur. More detailed studied and application of this model in the BSEC countries will result to pinpointing the regions which exhibit the highest probability for the generation of strong earthquakes in the next few years, thus facilitating the authorities to take precaution measures.

Considerable progress has also been made by GLAUTh towards intermediate - term earthquake prediction by studying the accelerating preshock crustal deformation. Finally, a procedure has been proposed for evaluating the evolution of a seismic excitation. This procedure can be used to identify whether a seismic sequence is or is not normally evolving and to define as well those parts of the fault where the larger earthquakes during the seismic sequence will occur.

 

Moldova

The main activities:
Upgrading and developing of national seismic network in view of receiving of digital records. Utilization of GIS technologies in seismic hazard and risk assessment. Seismic microzonation of major cities involving GIS tools. Bringing national codes in compatibility with 8 Eurocode standards.

 

Romania

Romania carried out:

• Seismic zoning of the territory of Romania according to new scale of seismic intensities;
• Seismic hazard assessment of the territory of Romania;
• Seismic microzonation of the territory;
• Seismic risk assessment;
• Seismic risk assessment associated with industrial explosions;
• Earthquakes forcasting through statistical and deterministic methods;
• Earthquake engineering;
• Study of Earth's crust;
• Development and upgrading of national digital seismic network;

 

Russia

The Russian Academy of Science as well as the corresponding services pay particular attention to the problems of seismology in Russia. The session of the Russian Academy presidium which brought forward a number of valuable recommendations was held in March, 2000.

According to the Federal seismology monitoring programme the Russian Federation is involved in the following:

• the study of dynamic processes which affect seismicity in seismically unstable regions of the country;
• the development of methods and means for earthquake forecasting and seismic activity;
• the development and introduction of earthquake-proof construction methods;
• the development of methods for research, monitoring and control over faultline environmental condition and its seismicity;
• the transition to digital means of registering seismicity and data base transfer. The resolution "About the Special Programme for Complex Seismic Monitoring and Earthquake

Forecast in Krasnodar Territory in 2000 - 2004" was approved at the Territorial Legislative Committee.

A special project of complex seismic monitoring programme and North Caucasus earthquake forecast was presented at the Council meeting of the Association of Southern Russia. A petition for involving the Russian government in the problem of the seismic condition in Northern Caucasus has been adopted.

For development of forward-looking research in the sphere of seismology there were offered contests of scientific projects, which are co-financed by Central Funds, Ministries and the regions. An example of it is the programme of the Ministry of Education of Russian Federation "Education, Science and Culture of Northern Caucasus and BSEC countries".

Special attention in Krasnodar territory is paid to interaction of seismic services with scientific establishments, with Kuban State University in particular, where the Council for Earthquake prognosis was transferred as well as the other services of this kind.

Russia has unique research equipment at its disposal, such as heavy vibroseismic installation TV-100, and there is no analogous equipment of this type in the world. With its help a number of new technologies was developed including the use of directional seismic antennas. A scientific discovery was made.

The complex "Strela" ("Arrow") developed in the Agency under the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russian Federation and designed for the evaluation of the conditions of buildings and constructions subjected to earthquakes is gaining popularity finding application abroad.

Ukraine

On the territory of Ukraine seismic research aimed at protecting population and providing the stable development of seismic regions is being held by National Academy of Science (Ukraine), Ministry of Emergency Situations (Ukraine), State system of Ukraine, Ministry of Ecoresources (Ukraine) and National Space Agency in the framework of state scientific and technological programme. Functioning and development of national seismic observation system and the increase of the security of population living in seismically dangerous regions, is approved by the resolution of the Cabinet of Ukraine of 28.06.97 #699

The main directions for the work to be carried out are:

• to study seismicity;
• to carry out works on detail seismic zoning of the territories of the potential seismic risk;
• to carry out a number of activities and to map general seismic zoning of Ukraine;
• to study the dynamic parameters of seismic influence and to forecast the seismic influence on the certain areas;
• to work out the methods of mid - and short - terms earthquake forecast and seismic risk;
• to work out and to introduce of perspective methods of seismically stable modeling;
• to work out the methods of distant formed state of environment;
• to work out and transmission digital technological means for registration of earthquakes and corresponding physical areas and to provide data installation and transmission.

 

The participants of the Workshop came to the following conclusions:

Taking into consideration that such natural disasters as earthquakes and their symptoms do not have just local character, their forecasting can be carried out only by means of large-scale monitoring on a vast territory.

Effective exchange of seismic information between all the BSEC countries that conduct research in the field of seismology is required.

It is necessary to apply and develop new methods in seismological research like the assessment of seismic risk, searching for ways of its reduction and mitigation.

The members of the workshop highly appreciated the noble action of the Russian side on providing an opportunity of the mutual disposal of hard vibroseismic sources TV - 100 in their researches and expressed their interest to this suggestion.

Profound studies in the field of earthquake engineering are required which would guarantee the safety of people during earthquakes of high magnitude. If, for instance, certain regions can accurately be defined which exhibit high probabilities for generation of strong earthquakes during the next several years, it is essential to find low cost methods for supporting old constructions and buildings, especially those where a large number of people live and work (industrial plants, hospitals, schools, etc). It is also necessary to study and develop methods of prevention and effective elimination of earthquake consequences, and of assessing the condition of constructions and buildings that have undergone the impact of disasters.

The resolution adopted by the Workshop provides for cooperation in the sphere of seismic information exchange, scientific, technical and other achievements being used for forecasting future earthquakes and their consequences.

The participants unanimously decided to establish the Association of Seismic Protection of the BSEC Countries and Balkan Region and agreed:

• to consider in general the draft of the Association's Charter suggested by the Working Group of the Workshop;
• to get the Charter's approval by the participant countries on the governmental level.

It was suggested that the participants should submit the corrected draft to the Organizing Committee of the First International BSEC Workshop on Seismology and Seismic Risk Mitigation in the Black Sea and Balkan Region after having dicussed it in their countries.

The Chairman of the Organizing Committee Academician V. Babeshko has been requested to summarize all the proposed amendments and changes to the draft of the Charter, to finalize it and to send the draft of the Charter to the participants of the Workshop for the approval on the governmental level.

It was stressed that the successful functioning of a future Association will need active support of the governments of the BSEC member-states through promoting projects of mutual interest and benefit, following the dicussion of all final results in their own countries, including the amendments to the Charter, according to the agreement of all members, the second International Workshop will take place after approvals of the Charter on the governmental level of the participant countries. Its date will be arranged later. All issues of functioning Assosiation and the spesific programme of actions will be resolved at the workshop.

Delegations of BSEC countries, which have taken place in the First International Workshop on Seismology, expressed their gratitude to the Ministry of Science and Technology of Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education of Russian Federation, the Russian Academy of Science, the Administration of the Krasnodar Territory, the Kuban State University (the Russian - American project REC - 004), the International Center of Black Sea Studies (Greece) for the support of the workshop and also to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation for the efficient assistance in providing visas for the participants of the workshop.

The Organizing Committee of the First International Workshop on Seismology and Seismic Risk Mitigation in the Black Sea and Balkan Region received greetings and communications from the following institutions:

• Deputy Minister of Science and Technologies of the Russian Federation;
• The Association of the Institutes of Seismology (USA);
• Consortium of the Association of the Institutes of Seismology of the USA;
• Observatories and Research Facilities for European Seismology (ORFEUS), Netherlands;
• O.Y. Shmidt United Institute of Earth Physics of the Russian Academy of Science;
• The Institute of Seismic Research and Observations (Turkey);
• Central Asian Technical University (Turkey).

 

Organizing Committee of the First BSEC International Workshop on Seismology

Russian Analytical Center of BSEC
attached to Kuban State University:

Tel./ (8612) - 699568
Tel./fax (8612) - 6999546;
E-mail: BSEC_REC@KUBSU.RU crdf@kubsu.ru
Stavropolskaya, 149 Krasnodar, Russia 350040

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