STUDY OF GEOLOGICAL, GEOPHYSICAL, AND SEISMOLOGICAL CONDITIONS FOR SELECTING A SITE FOR A NEW SEISMIC STATION TO STUDY THE SEISMICITY OF WESTERN KAZAKHSTAN

The present article provides review of seismic certainty and knowledge of Kazakhstan territory. The certain changes have been introduced to the picture of active seismicity of Western Kazakhstan once updated map for seismogenic zones was issued in Year 2016. Previously, seismic hazards had been mainly associated with potential earthquakes from a highly active zone crossing the Caspian Sea from the Kopet Dag to the Caucasus. Moreover, up to date mentioned area had been considered as an aseismic zone with no practical efforts to investigate seismic activity. However, recent geodynamic events demonstrated quite noticeable record of the earthquakes in Western Kazakhstan attributed by some researchers to technogenic impact from extensive production development of petroleum and gas deposits. The experts insist on arrangement of seismic arrays’ grid to ensure more accurate verification of earthquakes and mitigate errors in geodynamic events parameters estimation. The joint effort of Michigan State University (USA) and Institute for Geophysical Researches of the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan undertaken in the south-eastern part of Mangistau Province, east of the Mangistau Peninsula, resulted with deployment of Mangystau array (MSUAR) – Mangistau Temporary Network of Seismic Arrays aimed to run feasibility study to substantiate location of a new seismic array in Western Kazakhstan and further investigate seismicity of the region. The numerous criteria and factors had been identified based on the findings of collection and analysis of geologicalgeophysical, seismological, geomorphological data including interpretation results and mentioned criteria and factors shall be further used to address wide range of challenges.