GEODYNAMIC ORIGIN OF VARIATIONS OF SEISMIC REGIME OF CASPIAN AREA AND LEVEL OF CASPIAN SEA

The Caspian Sea has long attracted the attention of geologists, seismologists and other scientists, as well as politicians. The area of study is characterized by very high seismic activity.The problem of anomalous variations in the Caspian Sea level was widely discussed in scientific papers from different points of view. Our study is based on new seismic data that were not available to other researchers.The correlation of local seismicity with anomalous variation in the Caspian Sea level indicates a common geodynamic origin. The very fast rise in the Caspian Sea level which started in 1978 is supposedly related to intensive accumulation of elastic strain producing a fast upwarping of the seafloor and preparation of earthquakes in this area. A 3-D seismogeodynamic model of this region has been developed These results we obtained within the framework of the Joint Research Project “Earthquake Sources in Caspian Area and Long-term Prediction of Earthquakes” (ESCAPE) supported by the United Institute of Physics of the Earth (UIPE, Moscow, Russian Federation) and International Institute of Earthquake Engineering & Seismology (IIEES, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran)