The main objective of this volume is to evaluate existing knowledge and evidence of active faulting and historical/prehistoric earthquakes in the wider Caucasus area, and to assess the impact on the evaluation of seismic hazard. The seismological interest in the Caucasus lies in the availability of historical records documenting a long history of devastating earthquakes, coupled with advanced knowledge of the seismotectonics and active faulting beneath the former USSR and supplemented by recent instrumental programmes, including extensive satellite geodesy surveys. It is also interesting to compare various approaches to seismic hazards developed in different cultures (USSR, Caucasus, Turkey, Iran). In addition, the area presents a textbook case for the implementation of improved building construction codes and for the protection of critical facilities, including the nuclear power plants in Armenia and the Crimea.
