Deformation waves as a trigger mechanism of seismic activity and migration of earthquake foci have been under discussion by researchers in seismology and geodynamics for over 50 years. Four sections of this article present available principal data on impacts of wave processes on seismicity and new data. The first section reviews analytical and experimental studies aimed at identification of relationships between wave processes in the lithosphere and seismic activity manifested as space-and-time migration of individual earthquake foci or clusters of earthquakes. It is concluded that with a systematic approach, instead of using a variety of terms to denote waves that trigger seismic process in the lithosphere, it is reasonable to apply the concise definition of ‘deformation waves’, which is most often used in fact.

The second section contains a description of deformation waves considered as the trigger mechanism of seismic activity. It is concluded that a variety of methods are applied to identify deformation waves, and such methods are based on various research methods and concepts that naturally differ in sensitivity concerning detection of waves and/or impact of the waves on seismic process. Epicenters of strong earthquakes are grouped into specific linear or arc-shaped systems, which common criterion is the same time interval of the occurrence of events under analysis. On site the systems compose zones with similar time sequences, which correspond to the physical notion of moving waves (Fig. 9). Periods of manifestation of such waves are estimated as millions of years, and a direct consideration of the presence of waves and wave parameters is highly challenging. In the current state-of-the-art, geodynamics and seismology cannot provide any other solution yet.

The third section presents a solution considering record of deformation waves in the lithosphere. With account of the fact that all the earthquakes with М≥3.0 are associated with fault zones, a brief description of the method for assessment of spatial and temporal regularities in locations of earthquake epicentres in zones of dynamic influence of faults is provided. The method can be applied to estimate a dominating direction of movement of the epicentres, which corresponds to the phase velocity of the deformation wave disturbing meta-stability of the fault-block medium, leading to displacement of neighbouring blocks and thus causing a seismic event (Fig. 14). By integration of vectors of migration of epicentres at active faults, it is possible to demonstrate a pattern of vectors of movements of the deformation waves in the seismic zones of the continental lithosphere (Fig. 18).

Regional and trans-regional deformation waves are analyzed. For seismic zones of Central Asia, vectors of deformation waves are established, a scheme showing regional orientations of the waves is developed, and main wave parameters (length and time period) are estimated (Fig. 19). Three depth levels of deformation waves are distinguished: the whole lithosphere, the upper brittle part of the lithosphere, and the top part of the brittle layer (Fig. 20).

It is concluded that the leading factor of gradual accumulation of earthquake foci, which takes place regularly in space and time in seismic zones, are deformation waves that influence the geophysical medium. This understanding of the fundamental basis of seismic process needs to be more thoroughly justified with application of modern concepts, its revised phenomenological concept and development of a model representing a seismic zones as a geologically and geophysically independent structure of the lithosphere, which has its specific properties, based on which testing of the lithosphere becomes possible for purposes of potential earthquake prediction.

Modern methods for determination of gravity values make it possible to obtain measurements with the accuracy up to 10–9 from g0 of the normal value (up to 1 microgal = 10 m/sec2). While all the systematic and periodic effects are excluded, a question is raised about stability of the gravity field of the Earth over time. Changes of the altitude (the Earth’s radius) with time can be estimated with an accuracy of 0.1 mm by modern space geodetic techniques, such as VLBI method. Our experiments for evaluation of stability of the gravity values over the past decades are based on the data obtained by Russian and foreign observatories using absolute ballistic laser gravimeters. The results put a limit of 10–10 per year to changes of the Earth’s radius. These estimations can be useful for testing hypotheses in tectonics.

Measurements of non-tidal variations of gravity (Δg), which were obtained from 1992 to 2012 at the Talaya seismic station (located in the south-western part of the Baikal region), are interpreted together with GPS observation data. At the Talaya seismic station, the linear component of gravity variations corresponds to changes in the elevation of this site. The correlation coefficient is close to the normal value of the vertical gradient of gravity. At this site, coseismic gravity variations at the time of the Kultuk earthquake (27 August 2008, Mw=6.3) were caused by a combined effect of the change of the site’s elevation and deformation of the crust. Our estimations of the coseismic effects are consistent with results obtained by modeling based on the available seismic data.

The Kultuk volcano erupted at the axial South Baikal basin of the Baikal rift zone (BRZ). Now it exhibits facies of subvolcanic bodies, land-lava eruptions and subaqueous pillow lavas and hyaloclastites. The volcano was controlled by the Obruchev fault that is currently a border of the basin which amplitude of vertical movements is rapidly decreasing in the westward direction. It is found that the Kultuk volcano was active at the beginning and end of the volcanic activity period of the Kamar, Stanovaya, and Bystrinskaya volcanic zones, which took place 18–12 Ma ago. In previous papers, it was assumed that dominant structures in the area under study were major Cenozoic shear displacements along the Main Sayan fault and/or along the Tunka rift valley; however, at the current stage of our study, linear configurations of the volcanic zones do not reveal any of such displacements. Based on analyses of distribution of volcanic rocks in the relief at the western coast of Lake Baikal, distinct vertical crustal movements are revealed; such movements started in the Early Miocene and continue to the present time. It is concluded  that volcanism was controlled by the trans-tensional system of volcanic zones. Sources are identified for the shallow lithospheric mantle melt with the substantial admixture of the low-crust component and deeper asthenospheric mantle melts in the Kamar and Stanovaya volcanic zones; for the Bystrinskaya volcanic zone, only components from the deeper source are revealed. The local shallow mantle magmatism occurred only within the lithosphere extension zone beneath the South Baikal basin. The lithosphere thinning is reflected in the change of activity from the sub-lithospheric to lithospheric sources under the Kamar zone. Rifting of the axial structure is recorded at the root of the Slyudyanka lithospheric block that was subjected to the collision-related Early Paleozoic metamorphism. Geochemical characteristics of the collision-type components were inherited by the Miocene basaltic melts.

The catalog of earthquakes (КR³6.6) which occurred in the Baikal rift zone (BRZ) was declastered, and the results are presented in the article. Aftershocks of seismic events (КR³12.5) were determined by the software developed by V.B. Smirnov (Lomonosov Moscow State University) with application of the algorithm co-authored by G.M. Molchan and O.E. Dmitrieva. To ensure proper control of the software application, aftershocks were also selected manually. The results of declustering show that aftershocks of the earthquakes (КR³12.5) account for about 25 per cent of all seismic events in the regional catalog. Aftershocks accompanied 90 per cent of all the earthquakes considered as main shocks. Besides, earthquake swarms, including events with КR³11, were identified. The results of this study show that, in the BRZ, the swarms and strong events with aftershocks are not spatially separated, and this conclusion differs from the views of the previous studies that reviewed data from a shorter observation period. Moreover, it is noted that the swarms may consist of several main shocks accompanied by aftershocks. The data accumulated over the last fifty years of instrumental observations support the conclusion made earlier that the swarms in BRZ occur mainly in the north-eastward direction from Lake Baikal and also confirm the trend of a small number of aftershocks accompanying earthquakes in the south-western part of the Baikal rift zone.

An earthquake is an element of the global electric circuit (GEC) –  this new idea suggested in the space age is tested in our study. In the frame of the GEC concept, one may expect that tectonic structures of the northern and southern hemispheres may be magnetically conjugated. It is found that the midocean ridges of the southern hemisphere, located along the boundary of the Antarctic lithosphere plate, are magnetically conjugated with the areas of the junction of continental orogens and platforms in the northern hemisphere. The closest geomagnetic conjugacy exists between the southern boundary of Nazca lithospheric plate and the northern boundaries of Cocos and Caribbean lithospheric plates.

The article presents an overview of the XXV All-Russia Youth Conference on Structure of Lithosphere and Geodynamics. It took place on April 23-28, 2013 at the Institute of the Earth’s Crust in Irkutsk.