Results of studying the Earth’s crust deformations near the cascade of hydroelectric power stations on the Western Dvina

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of the interdependent influence of the tectonic and man-made factors on the state of the earth’s crust in the region of the HPP cascade on the Western Dvina flowing along the Polotsk-Kurzeme belt of tectonic faults. Here the results of geodetic researches on a geodynamic range “Polotsk Hydroelectric Power Plant” are given. The parameters of the horizontal earth’s crust deformations, obtained from three cycles of GNSS observations (2014, 2015 and 2017) at the landfill, are well-coordinated with the construction stages of the HPP and its commissioning. The tectonic faults, in the zone of influence where the Polotsk HPP is located, react to technogenic processes. It is desirable to extend the research to the Vitebsk HPP being built simultaneously with that in Polotsk, by creating a test-field in the district of the geodynamic range similar to the range of Polotsk, and combining them into a single geodetic construction, which is easily achievable with modern satellite technologies. Geodetic studies of geodynamic processes in the cascade of the HPP on the Western Dvina should be supplemented by seismological monitoring.