Genesis and Geoecological Changes of the South Caspian Depression after a Meteorite Fall

Abstract

The article provides data confirming the theory of the meteoric origin of the South Caspian Basin, one of the largest reservoirs located in the arid climatic zone. The theory under consideration was first proposed by Edmund Halley (1656–1742). As a result of the disaster, the natural habitats of fauna and flora have changed far beyond the Caspian Sea. The arguments in favor of this hypothesis include not only the geological and geomorphological data of the ring structure of the area but also seismotectonic features. The analysis was based on IRIS seismic monitoring data for the period 1970–2019. Earthquake foci of magnitude M ≥ 3.5 form the boundary between the northern and southern parts of the Caspian Sea, which coincides with the direction of the deep faults of the Kavkaz–Kopetdag geological structure. On the territory of the South Caspian, most earthquake sources are located along the coastal part; they form a ring structure, and are confined to areas of neotectonic contrasts that coincide with the faults of the coastal zone of the Caspian. The central part of the South Caspian depression is aseismic. As a result of the asteroid impact, the central part was compressed, and fractured zones of seismogenic faults, which are permeable to the rise of deep fluids, formed around it.