28.12.2011, 16:14:35

Collapsed plaster in one of the buildings in Kyzyl. Photo by RIA Novosti, Maxim Fedorov

Harmless nine points

No one was injured as a result of a strong earthquake in Tuva

On December 27 at 23:21, an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 occurred in the Republic of Tuva. The epicenter, the strength of the tremors in which reached 8-9 points, was located about a hundred kilometers from the capital of Tuva, Kyzyl. According to preliminary data, the earthquake did not cause any casualties or serious damage. However, local residents complain about the lack of official operational information.

Earthquake

The earthquake occurred on December 27 at 23:21 local time (19:21 Moscow time) 94 kilometers northeast of Kyzyl, the capital of the Republic of Tuva. The regional Ministry of Emergency Situations estimated the magnitude of the earthquake at 6 units, while the US Geological Survey - at 6.6 , placing the epicenter 96 kilometers from the city. There was no information about casualties and destruction, however, in order to be able to quickly respond to new tremors, the forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were mobilized in Kyzyl : one hundred rescuers, a field camp and life support facilities designed for 400 people were put on alert.

By the morning of December 28, the Ministry of Emergency Situations clarified the characteristics of the earthquake. Its epicenter was located 100 kilometers from Kyzyl in the Kaa-Khemsky district of Tuva, whose population is slightly less than 13 thousand people (for comparison, the population of Kyzyl is about 109 thousand people; in the city the magnitude reached 5 units). The magnitude of the earthquake, which occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers, was 6.7 units, at the epicenter its intensity was 8-9.

Earthquakes and their strength

To measure the power of earthquakes in Russia, two systems have been adopted. The first, the Richter scale, measures the magnitude of vibrations and has values from 1 to 9 (from 4.9 to 6.2 an earthquake is rated as moderate, from 6.3 to 7.3 as strong, then as catastrophic). The second system measures the intensity of tremors - there are several scales in the world, Russia uses the Medvedev-Sponheuer-Karnik scale (MSK-64). The intensity of the Tuvan earthquake at the epicenter was 8-9 points according to MSK-64, that is, it should have led to severe or even general damage to buildings, small landslides and changes in water levels in reservoirs. In October 2011, there was an earthquake of magnitude 6 in the Amur region, which, like the Tuvan one, did not cause casualties or destruction. For comparison, the magnitude of the earthquake that occurred in Japan in March 2011 was 7.9, and in Turkey in October of the same year it was 7.2.

Due to the incident, a state of emergency was introduced in Tuva. The forces of the Ministry of Emergency Situations began to gather in the republic: at night planes with rescuers, equipment, property for a tent camp and psychologists flew into Kyzyl from neighboring regions.

Tremors were felt, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, in eight regions: in Tuva itself, in the republics of Khakassia (magnitude 3-4 ) and Altai (the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations says that tremors were not felt in the republic), in Altai (" insignificant strength tremors") and the Krasnoyarsk Territory (magnitude 3-4 , including in Krasnoyarsk itself), as well as in the Irkutsk ( tremors with a magnitude of up to two) and Novosibirsk ( 1.6 ) regions. In addition, according to the regional departments of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, tremors were felt in the Kemerovo and Tomsk regions. Operational groups have begun working in these regions to check the condition of buildings and infrastructure. In the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the inspection was completed by 23:50 Moscow time - no violations in the operation of the energy system were found at dangerous or socially significant facilities.

People who worked in mines and mining operations in the area of the incident were evacuated. The operation of mines was suspended in Kuzbass, Khakassia and Buryatia until the end of seismic activity.

Seismic activity in the region was not limited to one shock. Overnight, several more aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 4.3 to 5.1 occurred in Tuva (according to the US Geological Survey - 4.7-4.8). They were no longer felt outside the republic.

In the Altai Republic, by the way, a small earthquake - magnitude 3.6 - occurred on December 26 at about 14:18 Moscow time, and on December 15, seismologists recorded a minor earthquake, the tremors of which were not felt. And in Tuva, there were earthquakes of magnitude 3.1-3.2 in September 2011 and on December 25, two days before the strong tremors.

Consequences and reactions

Of course, the work of important facilities aroused the greatest interest. The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for Khakassia promptly reported that one of the most important facilities of the republic - the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, which is located on the border of Khakassia and the Krasnoyarsk Territory - is operating normally. The earthquake did not affect the operation of the Rosneft and Transnfest facilities, as well as the service of the strategic missile forces located in Altai and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. In addition, prisons, pre-trial detention centers and colonies in the region are operating as usual.

According to ITAR-TASS , due to the earthquake, more than 10 thousand people in the Kaa-Khem district of Tuva were left without electricity on the night of December 27-28. By the morning of the 28th, the operation of substations had been restored in almost the entire region - by 8 a.m. Moscow time, repair work was still underway in two villages, Sizim and Erzhey, where about 600 people were left without electricity.

Overnight, about two thousand people turned to evacuation centers - for people who did not want to return to their homes due to the tremors, the government of the republic opened schools, kindergartens and sports complexes. In particular, residents of Kyzyl high-rise buildings were advised to spend the night outside their homes due to possible aftershocks. Some, however, according to media reports, preferred to spend the night not in schools, but in the open air. On the evening of December 28, evacuation points should resume their work.

On December 28, by order of the Ministry of Education of Tuva, schools in the republic ended the academic quarter ahead of schedule, canceling classes due to the earthquake. At the same time, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic Dina Oyun told RIA Novosti on the morning of December 28 that schools and kindergartens continued to operate as normal. “The only thing is that in the morning all schools held classes on life safety, where the children were once again explained the rules of behavior under these circumstances,” Oyun said.

The head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Sergei Shoigu, clarified shortly after the incident the strength of the earthquake - according to his data, it was 9.5 points - and doubted that there was no destruction. “At 4 points, house pipes fall, and in our country the entire eastern part of Kyzyl is private households. As soon as residents wake up and see cracks in the walls, stoves and pipes, they will immediately start calling us,” Shoigu said. However, on the morning of December 28, the presidential envoy to the Siberian Federal District, Viktor Tolokonsky , said that there were no casualties or destruction as a result of the earthquake.

What scale of measurement Shoigu had in mind when speaking about 9.5 points, he did not specify. This cannot be the Richter scale, which measures the magnitude of vibrations - it only has 9 units. If the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations spoke about 9.5 points on the Medvedev-Sponheuer-Karnik scale, then it should be noted that 4 points on it are characterized by slight vibration of objects and window glass. Cracks in glass start at 5 points, and cracks in stone houses start at 7.

Official information about minor damage on December 28 did appear. In the morning, the Ministry of Health of Tuva reported that the building of the Kaa-Khem regional hospital had split along its construction seams as a result of the earthquake. In addition, according to Rosbalt , residents of the republic found cracks, broken dishes and damaged furniture in their houses, but there was no official confirmation of this information.

Despite the favorable messages from the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the government of the republic and other official bodies, which are widely quoted by news agencies, Tuvans complain on the Internet about the actions of the authorities. The main complaint was the lack of operational information from the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the government of the republic. Official reports, local residents write, appeared only half an hour to an hour (and according to some, two hours) after the start of the tremors. Some attribute this to the fact that rescuers were too carried away with celebrating their professional holiday - December 27 is celebrated as Rescuer Day in Russia. However, there really are no mass reports of casualties and destruction that official sources are silent about.

Apparently, it was the lack of awareness of Siberians that led to the fact that the websites of the regional departments of the Ministry of Emergency Situations were forced to post warnings in the spirit of “don’t panic” and “don’t give in to provocations.” The Krasnoyarsk Territory Administration urgently appealed to residents: “We urge you not to panic! Do not trust unofficial information sources! Do not pass on unverified information to your loved ones, acquaintances, friends about aftershocks in our region!” ( original spelling - note from Lenty.ru ).

In turn, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Khakassia asked not to believe phone calls during which callers introduce themselves as employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and warn kindergartens, organizations and enterprises about expected earthquakes. “The management of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for Khakassia officially declares that the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations NEVER and UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES inform the population privately and in a similar 'underground' way! <...> All messages about the seismic event that occurred on the territory of Tuva are announced OFFICIALLY on television and radio, as well as with the help of Internet media by representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Khakassia, the Government of Khakassia, heads of municipalities, starting from the evening of December 27." However, it seems that no one has enough official information.

Anna Popova

Harmless nine points

Earthquake

Consequences and reactions

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Lenta.ru: In Russia: Harmless nine points