The Khubsugul Earthquake of January 12, 2021, Mw = 6.7, Northern Mongolia: Geological Effects and Tectonic Position of the Source

Abstract

Abstract The geological effects of the Khubsugul earthquake of January 12, 2021, with Mw = 6.7, which became the strongest in the Khubsugul region during the instrumental stage of seismological observations, are studied and mapped. Using the ESI-2007 scale, the epicentral zone with intensity VIII is contoured. The primary seismic rupture is represented by the right-lateral strike–slip with a displacement amplitude up to 20 cm, which renewed the Late Holocene tectonic scarp on the western side of the Khubsugul rift basin. The dynamics of rupturing in the Late Holocene indicates the gradual expansion of the basin due to the destruction of the adjacent mountain range. The data of satellite interferometry and seismological observations are in good agreement with the results of the field studies, which allows considering the delineated region of maximum shaking as a projection of the upper part of the source zone onto the surface.