Seismic Deformations in an Early Christian Monastery in the Area of Djanavara, Varna, Bulgaria. Part 1: Study Methods

Archeoseismological studies of the ruins of the Djanavara monastery complex (Varna, Bulgaria) have been carried out. The complicated character of the investigated destruction required different methods of archeoseismological investigation. Their description constitutes the first part of the paper. Different types of seismic deformations in building structures caused by surface ruptures and displacement of building elements along them are considered, as well as secondary deformations, i.e., when destruction and damage in building constructions occurred due to strong seismic motions produced by a distant source. We discuss the possible interpretations of the peculiar destruction types as kinematic indicators in modern buildings and archeological objects. We provide examples of different types of destruction and collapses of constructions, the tilting and rotation of building elements, as well as displacements without rotation. The possibility of locating the earthquake epicenter based on the data on orientations of collapses and methods of dating and seismic event parameterization are also discussed. The results of applying these methods in order to study the ruins of the Djanavara Cloister complex will be given in the second part of the paper.

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