Hierarchy of the Kamchatkan ring structures and their relationship with linear faults

The block structure of the Kamchatka Peninsula has been analyzed at differe nt hierarchical levels. Structurally concordant block models for the region have been constructed with the help of our own technique based on the disc retely hierarchical block model for the Earth's crust proposed by Academici an M. A. Sadovskii. Reliability of the obtained structural model is confirmed by comparison wit h literature data. It is shown that the active volcanoes, ore deposits, and hydrothermal sources occur near the interblock boundaries of certain rank. It is shown that the ring structures are principally ranked hierarchically . As for the linear features of the Earth's crust, the ratio between typica l sizes of ring structures that pertain to neighbor intervals of the series corresponds to Sadovskii's model and approxamately equals three. Regularities of the mutual disposition of linear and ring structures have b een established. Analysis of the proposed block models suggests that the ri ng morphostructures are related to tectonic cluster zones formed by interse ction of interblock boundaries. The centers of ring morphostructures occur on one of the intersecting faults (crossing) and are shifted along it the r adius apart from the other (tangential) fault. These regularities seem to be of genetic nature and are due to specific fea tures of the deformation of a block-hierarchical medium. A particular defor mation mechanism leading to such structures remains to be developed, but at the present stage the established regularities may have an important pract ical value, e.g., for recognizing sites of increased permeability of the Ea rth's crust.