Temporary seismic observations in the north of the Komi Republic (Polar Urals) in 2023

The relevance of the study is underscored by the fact that the active development of mineral deposits in the north of the Komi Republic provokes various seismic events. Most of them remain unnoticed and unexplored. The study aimed at reconnaissance seismic observations of the northern regions of the republic. To clarify the actual seismic situation in the territory of the Vorkuta coal mining region and the mountain-dynamic processes occurring here, expeditionary seismological work was organized in the Polar Urals in the summer of 2023. Similar short-term observations in the Subpolar Urals were also carried out in 2021 and preceded the installation of a stationary seismic station in the city of Inta. Field work was carried out in 3 stages: at the Yun-Yaga limestone quarry, in the southern pericline of the Enganepe massif and in the southern part of the Niyakhoy ridge. Seismic records were characterized by low and medium noise levels compared to the new Peterson noise model. In total, more than 100 local seismic events with the energy class according to T. G. Rautian KR = 3.8—8.9 and magnitude ML from –0.2 to 2.8 were registered. The spatial distribution of seismic events showed that they were mainly concentrated around the city of Vorkuta and, accordingly, mine fields. The study of mining activity, as well as the analysis of the wave pattern allowed identifying differences in the wave forms of mine dynamic phenomena and industrial explosions and establishing the nature of seismic events. Most of the events are dynamic phenomena in coal mines. We constructed a recurrence graph characterizing features of seismic processes. Based on the law of recurrence, we concluded that temporary observations in the Polar Urals recorded precisely man-made seismicity within the Vorkuta coal mining region.