Could earthquake destroy Moscow? Expert warns of Russia's seismic risk
Could a catastrophic earthquake hit Moscow? Simple yet intriguing question (illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Modern construction standards differ significantly from those of Soviet times. Back then, all civilian infrastructure—including residential buildings—was designed to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 5. Meanwhile, the most powerful quakes typically strike South America—particularly Chile and Peru—where magnitudes of 8 to 9 are not uncommon, says Dmytro Hryn, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and a leading researcher at the S.I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
Could an earthquake destroy Moscow?
According to Hryn, Moscow is situated on the East European Platform, far from active seismic zones. As a result, earthquakes in Europe generally don't reach it.
"Although the 1977 earthquake was felt in Moscow," he noted.
When asked whether Russia could experience an earthquake strong enough to destroy Moscow, Hryn was clear: no.
"Unfortunately, no," the scientist said with a touch of irony.
However, he added that Russia does have seismically active areas, including the North Caucasus, the Russian Far East, the Baikal region, and the Altai Mountains.
"So yes, Russia shakes—but only in certain areas. The country sits on stable geological platforms," he explained.
What other threat does Russia face?
According to Hryn, there's another serious threat to Russia.
"Climate change could cause the permafrost in Siberia to melt," he warned. "Roughly 65% of Russia's territory lies within permafrost zones. There's virtually no solid ground there—just sand saturated with frozen water. The ground consists of ice layers 5 to 20 meters deep, and in some areas over 1 kilometer thick."
He noted that massive sinkholes are already being observed in some areas, caused either by solar heating or human activity.
This is already resulting in enormous economic losses.
"Moreover," Hryn added, "the Russians are artificially accelerating climate change in those regions—setting forests on fire to warm the air."
Their goal is to thin the Arctic Ocean's glaciers and open up the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s northern coastline.
"Right now, Russian ships are forced to use the Suez Canal to reach Europe and Asia," he concluded.
We also wrote about how wildfires are devastating the Arctic Circle and why scientists are sounding the alarm.
