The next issue of The Russian Journal of Seismology (Vol. 7, No. 1) has been published. The issue includes articles written by employees of the GS RAS and other Russian scientific organizations.

The first article in the issue is traditionally published in every 1st and 3rd issue of the year “Global earthquakes in the 2024 second half according to the GS RAS” (authors: Yu.A. Vinogradov, M.I. Ryzhikova, N.V. Petrova, M.V. Kolomiets). This article describes the seismicity of the Earth for the specified period at the magnitude level mb (MS) ≥ 6.0. There were 56 such events in total. In addition, the authors provide information on 83 earthquakes felt on the territory of the Russian Federation. All information is sourced from the Alert Service of the Geophysical Survey RAS. The article notes that the seismic energy released worldwide in the second half of 2024 was lower than the same value for the first half of 2024. This fact continues the trend of the two previous half-years, i.e. the released energy is lower than the average semi-annual value for the period 2010–2024.

The following article was prepared at the Institute of Institute of Geosphere Dynamics of the Russian Academy of Sciences by I.O. Kitov, I.A. Sanina: “Quality assurance of seismological bulletins using waveform cross-correlation”. This work proves that waveform cross-correlation improves the detection and association of regular phases of seismic events in the International Data Center and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. The subject of the study was the cases of lack of confirmation by cross-correlation of events obtained by experienced analysts in routine interactive analysis.

The work “The December 15, 2021 Mw=4.8 earthquake on South Baikal” was prepared by a large team of authors (Ya.B. Radziminovich, A.I. Filippova, N.A. Gileva, V.I. Melnikova, E.A. Kobeleva) from several Russian scientific organizations: BB GS RAS (Irkutsk); IEPT RAS (Moscow), IZMIRAN (Moscow), IEC SB RAS (Irkutsk). In the article, the title earthquake that occurred within the Mishikha depression is subjected to a detailed analysis. The main focal parameters were obtained: seismic moment, moment magnitude, focal depth, and focal mechanism.

Once again, our journal publishes a continuation of a large series of articles (author: A.G. Epifansky) on the topic of “Focal zone model” as part of a study aimed at refining the automatic determination of the depth of crustal events. The latest work is “Focal zone model and seismic event location based on amplitudes pP phases”. The result was the ability to construct a location algorithm that uses the maximum seismic radiation as a criterion for the final solution.

The following 4 articles are devoted to the description of several significant earthquakes that occurred over a period of just over a month in January–February 2025 near the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, as well as within the East European Platform. All the works written by specialists of the GS RAS, Obninsk, present instrumental and macroseismic data, determine the spectral parameters of the studied sources, and in the latter case, construct the focal mechanism:

1. “Doublet of felt earthquakes on January 11, 2025 in the area of Sochi” (authors: A.S. Zvereva, A.I. Klyanchin).

2. “Earthquake on January 12, 2025 at 14:49 in the Black Sea (in the Kerch strait area), M_w=4.2, I₀ =3-4 points” (authors: A.S. Zvereva, A.I. Klyanchin).

3. “Earthquake on February 1, 2025 in the south of the East European platform” (authors: R.S. Pivovarov, M.A. Efremenko).

4. “Earthquake on February 13, 2025 near Sochi with M_w=4.1, I₀ =4–5 points” (authors: A.S. Zvereva, I.P. Gabsatarova, A.I. Klyanchin)