Home Berries How often do earthquakes occur in Crimea. Crimean seismologists have warned of a strong earthquake in the region. Recent cataclysms and modernity

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How often do earthquakes occur in Crimea. Crimean seismologists have warned of a strong earthquake in the region. Recent cataclysms and modernity

Opinions regarding the upcoming earthquake in the Crimea are seriously divided. Some say that it is very possible on the southern coast of Crimea, while others say that it is unlikely.

Seismologist, head of the laboratory of continental seismicity and seismic hazard prediction of the Institute of Physics of the Earth RAS Alexei Zavyalov commented on the information that appeared in the media about a possible earthquake in the Crimea.

Scenarios may vary. According to the first, houses can be destroyed. If the source of the earthquake is located in the Black Sea, then a tsunami may occur, Zavyalov said.

He noted that the main task of the leadership of the Crimea is to carry out certification of buildings for their seismic stability during earthquakes.

Exactly 90 years ago - in July and September 1927 - the famous Yalta earthquakes occurred, so it's time to prepare for this. Strong earthquakes occur in Crimea, but, of course, not as often as in Kamchatka and Japan, the seismologist emphasized.

A bit of history.

1927 Then the Crimean peninsula experienced not one, but a whole series of earthquakes. The first time "shaken" June 26. Aftershocks were felt on the 29th. There were no casualties or destruction. But on the night of September 11-12, Crimea was in ruins. Only a few buildings survived on the South Coast. The strength of the shocks reached 9 points. And, although the epicenter was in the Black Sea (not far from Yalta), there were no tsunamis. After the first blow, the sea, as it were, "receded", and then a strong storm began.

I wonder what exactly preceded the earthquake.

First, the strange behavior of animals. First of all, horses and dogs.

Secondly, strange phenomena at sea. In the evening, residents and holidaymakers noticed an unusual sunset. Hydrologist Professor Petr Dvoychenko described it like this:

The western part of the sky was engulfed in a bright brownish-orange light that effectively reflected on the smooth surface of Karantinnaya Bay. It was as if a fire was burning, the bright light of which passed through the smoke screen. The reflection from the water surface was so bright that the horse rushed to the side and did not want to ride close to the water.

Already at night, the fishermen noticed that something was wrong with the sea - it "boils", although the weather is calm and calm.

Thirdly, 15 minutes before the cataclysm, everything seemed to freeze. The air became viscous, silence pressed on the ears. People felt inexplicable anxiety.

Results and lessons of 1927. Strong destruction. Crimea was restored anew, raised from the ruins in the truest sense. There were also human casualties: more than 800 wounded, 16 dead. At the same time, the reason for the death of some people was not the earthquake itself, but the panic fear of the elements, which forced the unfortunate people to jump out of windows or brought them to heart failure. There was even a case of suicide, when a man hanged himself in a panic.

Therefore, we firmly say: no panic. Not a single seismic laboratory in the world can predict an earthquake by 100%.

Conclusions are another matter... We remember very well the rumors of the late 80s of the last century about a possible earthquake in the Crimea. Then, by the way, the Soviet authorities checked the documentation on seismic resistance for all constructed buildings. The results of that report were classified (in particular, on new buildings). Again, so as not to sow panic.

Apparently, the time has come to carry out similar monitoring in the 21st century.

In the meantime, we venture to suggest that the rumors about the “coming cataclysm” were born against the backdrop of the holiday season gaining momentum in Crimea, their appearance was “guessed” for the “round date” - the 90th anniversary of the Yalta earthquake, the “benefit” for the media is undeniable - such news is read and cite.

Yalta, Yulia Markova

"Rumbling Rumble and Push"

Seismologists reassure: Crimeans should not worry about the 3.5-magnitude earthquake that occurred in Alushta on the evening of Friday the 13th. According to experts, the epicenter of the tremors was in the Black Sea, at a distance of about 10 kilometers from the coast. Therefore, the inhabitants of the nearest villages and settlements felt it in full. At one of the residents of Alushta, the TV fell off the wall, the cabinet moved. Some rushed for documents and heart drops - and ran into the yard until they were under the rubble.

At about five in the evening, I felt my five-story building on Lenin Street in the center of Alushta buzzing - increasing noise, and then a push, - he told us environmentalist Dmitry Tikhonov. - I immediately turned off the gas in the house and went out into the street, where there were other residents.

I felt one push somewhere at 17:30, - recalls Deputy Head of the Alushta City Council Boris Egorov. - You know, I felt such a vibration, as if a car crashed into our house at full speed.

People, understandably, were scared. Some for their property, some for their children. Although the residents of the South Shore are no strangers to tremors.

Nothing supernatural happened, the earthquake was not destructive, it just happened a little closer than usual, - Yulian Burym, director of the Crimean Expert Council for seismic hazard assessment and earthquake forecast, told us. - This happens six, seven, eight times a year, because Alushta and Yalta are located in a seismically hazardous zone.

Once every 500 years

According to experts, about 100 earthquakes are recorded in Crimea every year, of which only one or two are felt by local residents. The rest of the shocks are picked up only by special devices.

The more often small earthquakes occur, the better, - says the chief researcher of the Crimean Expert Council for Seismic Hazard Assessment and Earthquake Prediction Bella Pustovitenko. - The matter is that between strong earthquakes the long period of accumulation of energy should pass. The gaps between them are filled with weak vibrations. The more often they occur, the more accumulated stress is released. Let small earthquakes be better than everything accumulates and then it will show its strength. We are more concerned about quiet periods when nothing happens.

In the event of strong shocks, the inhabitants of the South Coast and the Kerch Peninsula will feel the strongest vibrations of the earth's crust in Crimea. Since the last large-scale earthquake that occurred on the South Coast in 1927, experts with a probability of 95% within 500 years predict another one - at 8 points, 99% - that an earthquake of no more than 9 points will occur. In Simferopol, maximum fluctuations of 7 points are predicted.

500 years is the average interval between strong earthquakes, says the researcher. - But this does not mean at all that it will happen in the Crimea specifically in 2427. It can happen anytime. But don't worry. We draw up seismic hazard maps that guide specialists before issuing a permit for the construction of an object.

Building with integrity?

Since 1930, buildings have been built in Yalta, already taking into account a possible push of 8-9 points. In Simferopol, until 1997, specialists were guided by a danger of 6 points, and after - by 7 points. These are the norms for residential buildings that are not being built on landslide areas. Based on the 8-point danger, chemical plants, blood transfusion stations and other vital facilities are being built. They must survive even if part of the city collapses.

If during construction all the norms are met, then the building will not collapse, says Bella Pustovitenko. - Danger may arise if the tenants of some apartments did redevelopment without engineering calculations and violated the construction of supporting structures. If an emergency occurs, the entire house will be affected.

The seismic safety of objects depends not only on scientists, but also on the builders themselves, as well as house designers. After all, many workers are not always honest and can simply steal the necessary building materials. And some unscrupulous entrepreneurs who want to make easy money during the tourist season, for the sake of economy, build buildings from very fragile materials.

IMPORTANT

What to do if you feel tremors

First of all, go outside, but in no case do not use the elevator. Helping a person get out of it can be very problematic.

If you live on the upper floors and do not have time to go down, it is best to wait out the points by standing in the doorways.

BY THE WAY

Watch the animals

Animals are more sensitive to cataclysms than humans. They foresee the approaching danger. There are cases when domestic cats, dogs and other pets a few hours before the earthquake behaved unnaturally: they rushed around the room, made unusual sounds and asked to go outside, thereby signaling to their owners about the impending disaster.

SPECIFICALLY

The inhabitants of the peninsula felt the strongest tremors in 1927, 1949, 1957, 1972, 1980.

Earthquakes on the Crimean Peninsula have occurred at all times, the first record of one of these natural disasters has been preserved since 63 BC. In total for more than two thousand years, about 80 powerful earthquakes have occurred on the territory of Crimea. The most powerful and destructive is what happened on the night of September 12, 1927, its power was 9 points.

This year, two earthquakes occurred in Crimea. The first, with a force of 5-6 points, happened on June 26th. Fast forward a little to the twenty-seventh year, and try to look at what happened through the eyes of one of the eyewitnesses.

Mikhail Ivanovich Artamonov, a respectable 40-year-old accountant from Moscow, not burdened by his family and bad habits, lay on his bed and read a book. He arrived in Yalta three days ago, and successfully, at a reasonable price, he rented a small room on the second floor of a stone house, moreover, with furniture and a small courtyard. The view from the window was beautiful - the sea and slender cypresses.

That day, having had a good dinner, he lay down to rest, and almost fell asleep, when suddenly there was a terrible roar from the street, as if a dozen tractors were wound up under the house at once! The floorboards moved of their own accord, and overhead the roofing rumbled with iron, as if a platoon of soldiers were marching across it. Huge pieces of plaster from the ceiling fell to the floor, bed and table, breaking into small pieces.

The room instantly filled with dust, and the iron bed literally bounced, as if trying to throw off the unlucky guest. Mikhail Ivanovich got up with difficulty, holding on to the iron back, and rushed to the exit. When there were a couple of steps left to the door, the wall of the house suddenly split in half and the rays of the sun pierced dense clouds of dust with bright arrows. Through the fist-wide opening, the spa visitor saw the sea blue in the distance...

The epicenter of the June earthquake was in the sea, opposite Foros. Fortunately, there were no casualties or significant damage, although many buildings were covered with cracks, and collapses occurred in some places in the mountains. Many holidaymakers left after the incident, interrupting their vacation, but a few weeks later vacationers again flocked to the Crimea.

September came and the velvet season began - the best time to relax in the Crimea, the favorite time of the scientific and creative intelligentsia. Among them was the famous writer Konstantin Fedin, the author of the novel "Cities and Years", who survived the horror of the September tragedy.

Special issue of the newspaper "Krasny Krym", dedicated to the earthquake in 1927

The days were wonderful: the heat subsided, the greenery did not even think to turn yellow, a warm, but already refreshing breeze blew from the sea, and even the birds sang. The bright noisy lazy-resort life of the South Coast went on as usual, and September 11 also did not bode well for the guests and residents of Crimea.

On this wonderful night, putting on a light light suit, Konstantin Alexandrovich decided to take a walk along the embankment. Leaning against the stone parapet, he admired the night sea and bright stars, trying for the whole year to breathe in the wonderful sea air, seasoned with the aroma of evergreen cypresses.

The consequences of the earthquake in September 1927 in the Crimea

A sudden stunning blow coming from nowhere knocked the writer off his feet. Following the first, the second terrible blow threw Fedin already sitting on the ground, and then another and another ... All this happened against the background of a terrible rumble, from under the ground, the roar of stones falling from somewhere, the sound of breaking glass, the screams of people and the howling of dogs - everything merged into a single noise, reminiscent of an infernal cacophony.

Thick caustic dust covered everything around, not allowing breathing and closing the picture of chaos that covered the embankment. Rising with difficulty, stumbling and rubbing his eyes, Fedin tried to walk, not really seeing anything around. Every now and then people came across him, running somewhere in a panic, with faces full of horror and despair. Some were half-dressed and barefoot, many had blood on their feet...

The consequences of the earthquake in September 1927 in the Crimea

Some woman, in a torn nightgown, with a crazy look on her face smeared with blood, grabbed his hand in a death grip, trying to shout over the general roar in a hoarse, broken voice: "Help! Please, help!" And this was only the first push of the most powerful earthquake that Yalta has seen in its history.

The first signs of the September earthquake appeared in the evening. Poultry behaved restlessly, cats clung to the feet of their owners, cows lowed. At midnight, dogs howled all along the coast. Some of them broke free of their chains and howled off into the darkness of the night.

Journal of the Committee for Assistance in Combating the Consequences of the Crimean Earthquake under the People's Commissariat of Health of the RSFSR

At 00:14 there was a terrible roar, the earth trembled, came in waves, the walls of the houses were covered with cracks, window panes fell out and locked entrance doors swung open.

After the second shock, balconies and columns collapsed, roofs of houses collapsed, lampposts fell. The gloom of the night was illuminated by bright flashes from torn wires, and soon the entire coast was plunged into darkness. Only the moonlight struggled to make its way through the continuous dust curtain.

The shocks were felt almost throughout the entire territory of Crimea, but the segment of the southern coast from Alushta to Sevastopol suffered the most. Many old settlements were completely wiped off the face of the earth, in Big Yalta half of the population found themselves homeless, and those whose houses miraculously turned out to be intact lived on the street for many weeks after the earthquake, afraid to enter the cracked dwellings.

Postcard with an appeal to help victims of the Crimean earthquake in September 1927

The main symbol of the South Coast, and, perhaps, of the entire Crimea, the famous castle "Swallow's Nest", was also seriously damaged. Let's go back for a while and follow the dramatic events that took place in this most popular place on the peninsula.

The famous "Swallow's Nest" - could you have found a more famous restaurant in the Crimea at that time! Dinner on a cliff, forty meters above the sea, by the fireplace - what could be better! For the sake of this, holidaymakers from the most distant places of the coast came here. Tables were bursting with food, wine flowed like water, long toasts sounded.

The consequences of the earthquake in September 1927 in the Crimea

At around 11:00 am, the administrator, amid disapproving exclamations, announced that the restaurant was closing. Some of the guests left the establishment, but one cheerful company, which had taken a table on the castle grounds, right under its walls, did not want to disperse.

- Gentlemen, I ask you to hurry, the restaurant is closing, - the manager said.

Dear, come here, - asked a respectable gentleman in a velvet jacket. - You see, what's the matter, it's our friend's birthday today, let us rest a little more. Here is your compensation for this, - the client added, holding out a bill hidden in his hand.

What are you, what are you, we can’t, it’s not supposed to! - Deliberately worried and looking around, the administrator said, - God forbid someone sees. Well, all right, only until midnight, - he added, hastily putting the banknote in his pocket.

The consequences of the earthquake in September 1927 in the Crimea

Time flew by quickly, and the cheerful company did not notice how midnight had come. The administrator from afar and loudly, in an uncompromising voice, announced: "the restaurant is closing, please leave the premises" ”, and the mustachioed waiter approached the table, presented the bill, and silently began to collect the dishes. After grumbling a little in response to such impudence, the guests finally paid off and began reluctantly to rise from the table.

After standing a little longer on the balcony, admiring the moonlit path, the company slowly moved towards the waiting carriage. When only a few steps remained before him, the horse suddenly neighed, reared up, almost knocking over the carriage, and then abruptly rushed into the darkness of the night. The cabman, dozing on the irradiation, flew to the ground, almost falling under the wheels of the wagon.

A few moments later, the first powerful shock occurred, from which the upper part of the castle immediately collapsed and slender turrets fell into the sea. The stones that fell from above were smashed to smithereens and thrown into the sea tables, chairs and part of the railing. Who knows what could have happened if the restaurant manager hadn't been persistent...

Crimeans after the earthquake in September 1927

The September earthquake caused a terrible panic. Endless strings of vacationers and residents of the peninsula left the Crimea. There was not enough transport, and long columns of refugees from the Crimea stretched along the roads. The Crimeans who remained on the peninsula were afraid to enter their dilapidated houses and lived on the street, right up to the very cold weather, constructing temporary dwellings from plywood.

"All to the aid of the Crimea! The earthquake that began on the night of September 12 caused enormous destruction." The newspapers of the country after the disaster were full of such headlines. The Red Cross issued a series of postcards asking for help for the victims, and to enhance the effect, they published views of destroyed buildings.

A magazine dedicated to combating the consequences of the Crimean earthquake. Paris, October 1927

The damage caused to the country by the earthquake was estimated at 35 million rubles. The state established a special "All-Crimean Clothing Lottery" to raise funds for the elimination of the consequences of the disaster. Residents of different cities brought money and things for the victims.

Many years have passed since then. Today, many are surprised to learn about the events of the terrible September of the twenty-seventh year. The long-standing tragedy of the peninsula is reminiscent only of stone chaos long overgrown with pine trees in some places of the south coast highway, cracks and faults on the slopes of the mountains, and fragments of rocks lying under them. And also old postcards where you can see the castle "Swallow's Nest" without the famous pointed turrets.

An earthquake is one of the most grandiose natural phenomena, which gives a person a clear understanding of how vulnerable and unsteady his being is in the face of powerful elements ... One of the strongest Crimean earthquakes occurred on the night of September 12, 1927.

The famous painting by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin about the Crimean earthquake of 1927, which was witnessed by the author

The Crimean-Black Sea region is seismically active and seismically hazardous. The database for Crimea contains about 3,000 earthquakes, 40 of which were very destructive. The ancient architecture and archeology of the peninsula have preserved the memory of terrible earthquakes with an intensity of up to 9 points at the epicenter, starting from the 15th century BC.

Seismologists say that "80-100 years pass between Crimean earthquakes." If this is true, we have entered a dangerous period: the last time the Crimea suffered from a devastating earthquake was in 1927 - that is, 88 years ago. Life will show whether this is so, and today we will remember what it was like - the strongest Crimean earthquake, and what were its consequences for the peninsula.

But first, a little historical digression.

The oldest earthquake on the territory of Crimea and modern Ukraine, confirmed by written sources, is the Panticapaeum, which occurred in 63 BC.

“At the time when Mithridates was celebrating the feast of Ceres in the Bosporus, such a strong earthquake suddenly happened, followed by terrible destruction of cities and fields,” wrote the Christian historian Pavel Orozy. According to the Roman chronicler Dio Cassius, "the strongest earthquake in history destroyed several cities."

In 480 AD, around September-October, there was another strong earthquake. Earthquakes of 1292 and 1471 are also known.

The Byzantine historian testifies about the most destructive earthquake of the medieval Crimea in 1341 Georgy Kedrin in the book "History": "It reached the Crimea, was accompanied by a great flood, the sea came out of its shores for 10 miles and caused indescribable harm."

The earthquake of 1471 brought down the fortress, the mountain, and "the frightened inhabitants dispersed from it to other villages," the Russian traveler notes. Pavel Sumarokov. In 1615, “there was an earthquake in the city of Kaffa: the city wall collapsed, the earth shook, houses collapsed, creatures were amazed, women cried, children screamed, the sea rose, swayed and went back” (the entry was made in the diary of a resident of Kafa Khachatura Kafaetsi).

famous naturalist Peter Simon Pallas describes earthquakes in the Crimea at the end of the 18th century, and Pavel Sumarokov, who observed it in Sevastopol, told about the earthquake of 1802.

The panic of the inhabitants of the southern coast of Crimea and Simferopol was accompanied by a night earthquake in 1838. The following year there was a strong earthquake with an epicenter near Foros - ground vibrations even led to the destruction of earthquake-resistant Genoese buildings.

According to some sources, the earthquake of July 13, 1875 was not strong, and according to others, its strength was up to 7-8 points.

There is data on the January earthquake of 1902. The documents of the Tauride Governor testify to an earthquake on May 18, 1908, other sources - about 5-6 magnitude shocks on October 24, 1908.

Memories of the earthquake on December 26, 1919 testify to its enormous strength: there was a strong storm, destruction was noted in the Yalta port.

But, of course, the most famous in the history of Crimea is the powerful earthquake of September 12, 1927.

It was preceded by a less destructive earthquake on June 26, 1927. The epicenter of the June earthquake was located under the seabed, south of the villages of Foros and Mshatka. Eyewitnesses noted that two hours before the start of the earthquake, a long strip of foam appeared in the bay between Ayu-Dag and Cape Plaka, which soon disappeared, while the sea remained calm.

Another unusual phenomenon was observed: in completely calm and calm weather, a small swell was noticeable on the water, and the sea seemed to boil. And if before the earthquake it was calm, then during the tremors a strong noise was heard, literally an underwater roar, which was noted by everyone who was at that time in the sea. Bathers noted that the water began to twist under them, and, having swum back, they first felt that they had fallen into a hot stream, and having got out of it with great difficulty, they ended up in cold water. At least in three places - Yalta, Alupka and Gurzuf - tsunamis were recorded.

Postcard asking for help to victims of the earthquake

An eyewitness to the earthquake, a resident of Alushta, recalled: “It was June 26 in the afternoon. The force of the push was 5.5 points. There was no destruction in the city. Not very strong Tatar buildings suffered in the villages. Soon everyone calmed down, the holiday season continued.

In August, the famous poet, "singer of the revolution" arrived in Alushta Vladimir Mayakovsky. In the Alushta club, Mayakovsky delivered a report “To everyone - everything!” and read the famous Miracles. If he stayed in the city until September 12, his memories would be much brighter and more terrible.

Mayakovsky nevertheless devoted the following lines of the poem "Crimea" to this significant Crimean event of 1927, written in his characteristic literary manner:

earthquake

loop roads,

shattered,

grasping the edge

dismounted

old man Ai-Petri.

Ai-Petri!

A-i-i-i-i!

But Ai-Petri really “disappeared” a little later ...

The weather was hot at the end of summer and beginning of September. There were many vacationers in Crimea. At midnight from September 11 to 12, it was a marvelous moonlit night after a recent downpour ... The silence of the night suddenly exploded with rumblings, the sound of falling furniture, crumbling plaster, the sound of broken glass and dishes ...

It was the second - truly crushing blow of the Crimean earthquake. It was much stronger and more destructive for the Crimea than the June one.

The earthquake of September 12, 1927 was much more powerful in terms of destruction. Its center was located under the seabed south of Yalta and was extended along the coast. At the epicenter, the strength reached nine points on a twelve-point scale.

This earthquake was also distinguished by more diverse natural phenomena. So, for example, those who were on the steamer "Ilyich" on the morning of September 12, when passing it in the Yalta region, noted that it seemed to be "walking on stones."

A strange phenomenon was pillars of fire and curtains 30 kilometers from the coast of Sevastopol. In the city itself, strong sound and light effects were observed during the first shock. Residents of the village of Nizhniy Kermenchik, 35 kilometers east of Sevastopol, observed "red fire in the form of a strong lightning bolt." The fiery flashes were indeed very strong, as they could be seen at a distance of up to 60-70 kilometers.

In the report of the Hydrographic Department of the Black Sea Fleet, we read: “A column of flame was recorded for 5 seconds at Cape Lukull, in Yevpatoria - a flash of white fire on the sea, in Sevastopol a flash of fire 500 meters high, 2.7 kilometers wide ... ".

There were other amazing things as well. In the Simeiz area on the morning of September 12, colored films with an area of about one hectare were noticed on the surface of the water ...

It is not surprising that such amazing and, frankly, eerie manifestations of nature aroused sacred horror in people ...

Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petro in the realities of the Yalta earthquake, the unforgettable great schemer Ostap Bender and his companion Ippolit Matveyevich Vorobyaninov were settled. A powerful natural element almost deprived them of the most expensive - the cherished chair: “It was twelve hours and fourteen minutes. This was the first impact of the great Crimean earthquake of 1927. A blow of nine points, which caused innumerable disasters throughout the peninsula, tore the treasure out of the hands of the concessionaires... Ostap was beside himself. An earthquake that got in his way! This was the only case in his rich practice.

What's this? yelled Vorobyaninov.

From the street came screams, ringing and whispering.

This is what we need to immediately flee to the street before we are blocked by a wall. Hurry! Hurry! Give me your hand, hat!

And they rushed to the exit. To their surprise, at the door leading from the stage to the alley, a Gumbsian chair was lying on its back, intact. Letting out a dog's squeal, Ippolit Matveyevich seized him with a death grip... All night the concessionaires wandered along with the panicked crowds, not daring, like everyone else, to enter the abandoned houses, expecting new blows. At dawn, when the fear subsided a little, Ostap chose a place near which there were neither walls that could collapse, nor people who could interfere, and proceeded to open the chair. The results of the autopsy startled both concessionaires. There was nothing in the chair. Ippolit Matveyevich, unable to bear all the upheavals of the night and morning, laughed like a rat.

Immediately after this, the third blow was heard, the earth opened up and swallowed up the Gambs chair, spared by the first shock of the earthquake and torn apart by people, the flowers of which smiled at the sun that had risen in cloudy dust.

Fortunately, there were relatively few human victims of the Crimean earthquake - sources give different numbers (from three to eleven dead and several dozen injured), but the destruction was very great.

In Alushta, the Genoa tower and hotels were damaged, in Alupka - the Vorontsov Palace and the mosque. The famous "Swallow's Nest" withstood, but suffered, to the greatest chagrin of tourists, the foundation rock.

Blockages formed on the highway near Oreanda, Kikineiz was badly damaged, and landslides occurred on Mount Koshka. In the Yalta region, 70 buildings were damaged, in the city itself, the Rossiya and Yalta hotels and residential buildings were damaged.

Severe destruction was also registered in Sevastopol. At the beginning of the first hour of the night, the city was shaken by a strong earthquake. Half a minute later there was a second. Both shocks were accompanied by undulating vibrations of the soil.

Frightened people ran out of houses, some began to throw themselves out of windows. Newspapers of that time wrote: “In the barracks of the Brest regiment, one Red Army soldier threw himself from the height of the third floor, who, fortunately, was not seriously injured. Comrade Zakharov, head of communal houses, jumped off the balcony of the second floor of house No. 38 along Tavricheskaya Street. He got leg injuries."

A few hours after the earthquake, the district executive committee and the presidium of the city council reported that “measures have been taken to ensure the uninterrupted supply of water and electricity to the city, timely medical care has been provided, and fire protection is on the alert. City life is going well.”

However, not everything was in order. The earthquake resulted in numerous damages to buildings and housing communications. In many houses, cracks appeared in the walls and ceilings, plaster and cornices collapsed, and a fire broke out in some residential buildings due to shorted wires.

At the time when the earthquake happened, an all-Union archaeological conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the start of excavations was being held in the Chersonesos Reserve. Here, plaster crumbled in several buildings and one of the towers of the settlement collapsed.

The protocol of the Crimean Central Executive Committee stated that some of the houses were completely destroyed, some had serious cracks. "The population of the southern coast of Crimea lives in the open air," newspapers wrote.

“For about two months, the population has been experiencing the horrors of a natural disaster. The panic of the first days subsided, but the situation remains extremely difficult - cold weather has set in, continuous rains are falling, epidemic diseases are growing. The earthquake overtook the peasants at the time of the harvest of grapes and tobacco, a significant part of the crop perished,” the Crimean government informed.

Surprisingly, but before the 1927 earthquake in the Crimea, no scientific observation of seismicity was carried out, it began only in 1928. Stations were placed in Yalta, Feodosia, Simferopol and Sevastopol.

The Yalta region and Sevastopol were recognized as the most affected. The materials of the 13th Crimean Regional Party Conference of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, held in November 1927, noted: “According to the latest data, the Yalta region suffered 25 thousand rubles, Sevastopol - 8 thousand. The distribution of funds was approved by the Regional Committee - Yalta received 2/3, Sevastopol - 1/3.

As you can see, the most devastating consequences of the 1927 earthquake affected the territory of the southern coast of Crimea, most of the settlements of which were inhabited by Crimean Tatars. The authorities did not fail to take advantage of what happened to intensify their offensive actions against the believers, especially focusing on Muslims. Since a number of ancient mosques and other religious buildings were damaged during the earthquake, instead of carrying out strengthening work, the authorities ordered them to be demolished immediately - literally a month later, the Central Executive Committee of Crimea issued circular No. 104 of October 12, 1927 “On the procedure for eliminating religious buildings that threaten to collapse rendered unusable by an earthquake. As a result, many mosques in Crimea were destroyed.

Despite the significant damage caused by the mighty elements, many Crimean Tatar buildings survived, having adequately passed the test of strength. Describing and analyzing the ways of building old houses, the famous Crimean Tatar ethnographer Usein Bodaninsky in a work written shortly after the earthquake, in 1930, he stated: “Old Tatar houses ... are very stable before an earthquake and are undoubtedly the result of centuries of building experience on the soil and conditions of the Crimea. For our Soviet anti-seismic construction in the Crimea, we must carefully study the ancient methods of building peasant dwellings.

Fortunately, the 1927 earthquake remained the strongest in the history of Crimea in the 20th century - subsequent ones were much weaker. Nature has been kind to the peninsula.

Gulnara Bekirova

Crimean historian, member of the Ukrainian PEN Club

Crimean seismologists warned residents of the peninsula and tourists about a strong earthquake in the region in the near future.

On Tuesday, July 18, the Izvestia newspaper was told by the director of the Crimean State Expert Council for Seismic Hazard Assessment and Earthquake Forecast Yulian Burym.

As reported, the tremors will be felt on the peninsula, although the epicenter of the disaster is in the Black Sea, 30-50 km from the southern coast of Crimea.

"An earthquake is expected within a day. We have one of the signs. I will not give you specific numbers. Yes, strong, tangible. But it may not happen at all," the specialist said.

This message has caused a serious stir. As a result, comments about the upcoming natural disaster poured in from various interested departments.

It also turned out that the animals of the Crimean zoos do not show any concern about the elements.

"Information was collected from all the zoo corners and zoos of the Crimea in order to change the behavior of animals - similarly: there are no anomalies in the behavior of animals," said the head of the press service of the regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Now, in his opinion, the Crimean authorities should carry out certification of buildings for their seismic stability during earthquakes.

"Exactly 90 years ago - in July and September 1927 - the famous Yalta earthquakes occurred, so it's time to prepare for this. Strong earthquakes occur in Crimea, but, of course, not as often as in Kamchatka and Japan," he stressed. seismologist.

In 1927, the elements destroyed 70% of all buildings on the peninsula, the Kryminform portal recalls. Then the architectural monument "Swallow's Nest" was seriously damaged - due to a push of 8 points, the tower collapsed, a crack passed through the entire building. According to geologists, before that, in the Crimea, tremors of the same magnitude occurred during the time of Catherine II. As a result, the hypothesis of a 100-year cycle arose. In the near future, a new devastating earthquake is not expected on the peninsula, but they are preparing.