Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2026 number 3

The article considers the impact of earthquakes on the variability of characteristics of suspended sediment runoff (SSR) (turbidity, discharge, runoff modulus) in rivers at different spatiotemporal scales (daily, seasonal, long-term) in the territory of Kamchatka krai. An analysis of the natural factors responsible for SSR formation in the study area revealed that the main reasons for the formation and variability of suspended sediment runoff in the rivers of Kamchatka krai, along with traditional factors (terrain relief, climate, soil and vegetation cover), are volcanic and seismic activity. It has been established that, as a result of major earthquakes, daily water turbidity can reach its maximum within a year, as was recorded, for example, in some small watercourses in the study region after the earthquake of August 17, 1983 (the earthquake’s energy class was 15,4). An increase in seasonal water turbidity, unrelated to the variability in water discharge or precipitation, as well as an increase in average annual suspended sediment discharge have been observed. A comparison of the quantitative values of the suspended sediment runoff modulus in the outlet sections of the rivers with the peak ground acceleration (PGA, m/s²) showed that with an increase in the latter, there is a tendency towards an increase in sediment runoff. A spatial analysis of the distribution of PGA, water turbidity, and suspended sediment runoff modulus demonstrates consistency in the variability of these characteristics. Naturally, PGA is not the only factor in this distribution of characteristics. For example, one of the most important reasons is the location of active volcanoes in Kamchatka. Increased atmospheric precipitation and its erosive potential, as well as terrain characteristics and rock lithology, also contribute to increased sediment runoff in this direction. An increase in seismic activity from west to east, coupled with the growth of other indicators of sediment runoff formation, leads to the intensification of gravitational processes and, consequently, an increase in the flow of particles into watercourses, i.e., seismic activity can be the cause of constantly increased background values of water turbidity.