THE IMPACT OF DEGASSING ON ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA ON THE EASTERN EUROPEAN PLATFORM

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the phenomenon of subsurface degasification and the relationship of atmospheric phenomena, for example tornadoes, with deep fault zones.

Keywords: degassing, platform, windstorms.

Introduction

In fact, in the last century, academician P.N. Kropotkin [5] drew geologists' attention to the process of degassing the subsoil. But it is only in the last decade that this problem has been appreciated [1]. The interaction between the atmosphere and the lithosphere can be seen in the influence of fluid discharge during degassing of the subsurface [2] and the impact of this phenomenon on atmospheric processes. In particular, the occurrence of such dangerous meteorological phenomena as tornadoes can be linked to this.

Relevance. At the moment this topic is very under-researched and there are almost no publications on the subject.

The objective of this work is to show another possibility of geosphere interaction, which is expressed in the connection between tectonic and atmospheric processes.

Tasks:

● Overlay aulacogens on the map of tornadoes and windstorms in ArcGIS. On the basis of the obtained map, draw conclusions about the presence of a possible correlation between atmospheric and tectonic phenomena in the territory of the Eastern European Platform (EEP).

● To characterize the fluid activity of the platform and its relation to tectonic structures and explore possible manifestations of fluid activity in the EEP area.

Practical relevance. The study of the relationship between atmospheric and geological processes makes it possible to determine the most likely locations of mineral deposits and to identify more precisely areas where one of the most dangerous micro- and mesoscale meteorological phenomena may occur [3;8;11] - tornadoes.

This study was based on an article from the journal Meteorology and Climatology [10] and cartographic materials [14;16;17].

Research methods

The following classic research methods were used in writing the article: abstract, comparative and cartographic.

To identify the connection between tectonic structures and the distribution of tornadoes in the EEP area, a map of tornadoes and windfalls was taken from the journal Meteorology and Climatology [10 Processed using Adobe Photoshop. It was mapped with ArcGIS software using avalacogenes taken from [16].

The map from the article [10] shows both places of direct observation of tornadoes and traces of their formation and movement, represented by linear zones of windstorms.

A tornado is an intense vortex of relatively small horizontal scale (on the order of 10-2000 m) usually extending from the lower edge of the cloud to the underlying surface, which may be the ground or water surface [4]. A windfall is the falling out of a tree together with its root system and the braided root ball of the ground under the influence of a strong wind [15].

In the territory of the Eastern European Platform (hereinafter referred to as the EEP), tornadoes are much more frequent than in the rest of the country. Moreover, while tornadoes require real observations and are recorded more in densely populated areas [12]), windstorms leave a trace on satellite maps [13] in the presence of forests (on the West Siberian Platform there are many, but windstorms are recorded in much smaller numbers than on the EEP). If we look at the tectonic map, we can assume that the area with the highest recurrence of the phenomenon lies on the map of avlacogenes and other tectonic structures. Hence, it can be assumed that there is a relationship between the two phenomena.

Analysis of this map (Fig. 1) shows that there are several linear zones that are marked by the epicentres of windstorms and tornadoes.

The northernmost of them spatially coincides with Soligalichsky and Kresttsovsky avalacogenes, which experienced multiple activation in Phanerozoic [7] and their outpost structures. Location of epicenters of events shows good correlation with avlacogenes and ancient suture zones. Observations are mainly represented by wind-throw data, because this zone is heavily forested, but not very densely populated.

Figure 1. Correlation map of the distribution of tornadoes and windstorms with avalacogenes. Subgroup "O" includes tornadoes, information about which was obtained from eyewitnesses of the event itself or devastation caused by it; b) Subgroup "C" includes tornadoes, information about which was obtained from satellite data on windfalls.

To the south there is a thickening zone of epicentres of events, represented by both tornado and windswept observations. This zone is about 100 kilometres wide and stretches from west-southwest to east-southeast for more than 800 kilometres from the Belarusian border to the Urals. This zone runs through the outskirts of Moscow. There is no direct correlation here with avalacogenes or other reliably established ancient suture zones. Most likely, this zone reflects the modern kinematics of active fluid systems associated with modern stress fields in the EEP body.

The third zone is several hundred kilometres further south. Its eastern part coincides with the lower reaches of the Kama River. A characteristic feature of this zone is the relatively low intensity of events, but they are represented almost exclusively by observations of actual tornadoes rather than wind-throws (due to the lack of forested areas where their tracks can be traced).

Observations of the distribution of tornadoes can help to locate and identify areas of contemporary subsurface fluid activity, including those associated with the formation of oil and gas fields [5;6].

Possible explanations

Epicenters of tornadoes and windstorms mostly coincide spatially with deep faults confined to aulacogenes [14;16;17]. It is assumed that the area above the deep faults, in particular, above the aulacogenes is the zone of unloading of fluids rising from the inner shells of the Earth [5]. Some of the zones of increased fluid permeability are identified for the first time by correlation with tornado and windstorm epicenters. According to the author, these zones reflect contemporary (current) fluid discharge dynamics confined to tectonic fracture zones of different nature that dissect both the crystalline basement and the sedimentary cover, including Quaternary sediments.

Conclusions

A spatial correlation has been established between tornado observation areas and deep fault zones, including those limiting aulacogenes suspected of having modern fluid activity.

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