Three tremors jolt Azerbaijan
By Nigar Orujova
Three earthquakes jolted the Azerbaijani regions on February 23.
Shamkir region, 400 km west from Baku, was jolted at 4 magnitudes on Richter scale at 12:04 a.m., 32 kilometers north-west of Ganja, the National Seismological Service Center reported.
This was the third earthquake registered in Azerbaijan in a day. Earlier, the center reported about the earthquake, which occurred in northern Gabala region at 07:57 a.m.
Gabala is located 220 km away from Baku. The magnitude of the earthquake was 3.3, and the epicenter was located at a depth of 14 kilometers.
Gabala town is located in the north of Azerbaijan, 220 kilometers from Baku.
Another earthquake hit the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea at 08:00 a.m.
The magnitude of the earthquake was 3.8 with the epicenter located at a depth of 54 kilometers.
The number of earthquakes has raised in Azerbaijan and seismic processes have intensified in the last years. The country is located in a seismically active zone and this has made it familiar with jolts.
Last year, Azerbaijan faced over 8,000 tremors and the most powerful earthquakes in the country for the past 15 years. Thus, six earthquakes measuring over 5.0 on the Richter scale occurred in Azerbaijan in 2014.
Gurban Yetirmishli, Director of the Republican Seismological Service Center of the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences, said that some weak shocks were registered in 10 regions of the country in two days.
“However, this is not disturbing. In particular periods, both weak and strong tremors hit the country. So, this is not frightening," he stressed.
The most seismically active zone in the country in terms of the number of earthquakes and the energy released is Shamakhi and Ismayilli. The list also includes Ganja and Talish regions.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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