MONITORING OF GEODYNAMIC PROCESSES IN THE AREA AROUND SOFIA.

The study of recent crustal movements is one of the priority areas of the Earth sciences. Geodetic methods occupy a particularly important place in the general complex of measurements and investigations of crustal movements because they provide quantitative information on the condition and development of geodynamic processes. The paper outlines the newly accepted project with main goal monitoring the geodynamic processes in the area of Sofia. This goal will achieve by periodic GNSS measurements over the Sofia geodynamic network and using data from continuously operating reference stations from National GNSS Network. The study will give estimates of the recent crustal movements in the area; active strain and strain rate and correlation between the crust movements, seismic events and tectonic structures. DInSAR method, based on interferometric images, will also apply to obtain independent estimates of the crustal movements from RSA data. The paper summarizes the geodetic, geological and seismotectonic information about the territory around Sofia obtained up to now. A description of the existing geodynamic geodetic network in the studied area is given and main characteristics of the geological setting are made. The data show the presence of active faults in the area that need to be investigate. The research project can be seen as a new stage in the study of an area with a clear seismic hazard. It is propose to develop current issues related to the joint interpretation of geodetic, geological and seismotectonic information for the assessment of recent geodynamic processes. The expected results will be a contribution to the assessment of natural risk and seismic hazard in the studied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]