ARMENIA’S SOUTH REMAINS MOST EARTHQUAKE RISKY AREA

Armenpress
Jan 11 2007

GYUMRI, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS: The northern branch of Armenia’s
National Seismic Service registered 789 tremors in the northern and
western parts of the country in 2006 and used their data to compile
a catalogue of earthquakes which were registered in the South and
North Caucasus last year.

The catalogue will be used by experts to predict new tremors in
the region.

Sergey Nazaretian, head of the northern branch, said last year, in
terms of earthquakes and their force, was relatively calm. He said
the town of Gyumri, which is the capital of the northern province in
Shirak is now the most earthquake-proof town in Armenia, while its
capital city Yerevan is the most earthquake-risky one.

Gyumri, formerly Leninakan, was razed actually to the ground by 1988
earthquake killing thousands of its residents. According to Nazaretian,
Armenia’s south remains the most earthquake active zone.

The northern service has compiled seismic risks maps of Gyumri and
Vanadzor. The latter was also hit by the 1988 earthquake.

The national seismic service has 40 stations in the north of the
country which operate day and night.