ACTIVE FAULTS IN EURASIA: GENERAL REMARKS

Abstract

The database and map of active faults of Eurasia, 1:5,000,000, have been compiled according to the ILP Project II-2 “World Map of Major Active Faults.” The map shows the complicated distribution of active faulting. The major faults group in broad mobile belts between relatively weakly faulted parts of the main plates. The faults form the plates, microplates and crustal blocks boundaries there and are accompanied by deformation of the boundary areas. Using active fault data for the seismic hazard assessment (estimation of maximum possible magnitudes of earthquakes in fault zones), it is necessary to take into account the total neotectonic activity of the territory and average rate and sense of motion on the fault. Because trenching gives a possibility to determine only vertical earthquake offset on a fault, it is necessary to make corrections for strike–slip faults to estimate the earthquake magnitude by using this parameter.