Manifestations of recent activation in the southwest of Ukraine and the adjacent territories of Moldova and Romania. Pt. 2

<jats:p>This article (the second in a series devoted to recent tectonic activation in the region) primarily examines the deep processes responsible for the formation of the Vrancea mantle focal zone at the margin of the Carpathian geosyncline. This zone represents a rare phenomenon: a columnar concentration of earthquake hypocenters at depths exceeding 200 km. On the continents, only one comparable object is known, located in the Hindu Kush and Central Pamir (aside from a small focal object in the Bucaramanga zone in Colombia). It is bounded by subvertical surfaces and is much larger in extent in one horizontal direction, generally approaching a dike-like form. Mantle focal zones of comparable depth are not uncommon in transitional zones between continents and oceans. The paper demonstrates that, both within continents and along continental-oceanic boundaries, such zones are confined to Alpine geosynclines. In the former case, these are Alpides of typical folding age (25—35 million years), whereas in the latter case, they represent late Alpides (approximately 10 million years old). Data are presented that indicate vertical displacements of objects responsible for triggering earthquakes. In addition to predominantly descending motions, upward movements are also observed. These processes are consistent with the author’s geological theory, which is based on polymorphic transformations of basic crustal rocks under the influence of thermal anomalies. The latter are associated with heat and mass transfer within the mantle and crust. In the near-surface depth interval, these processes manifest as an «Aubouin waves», which propagates from the central parts of the geosyncline toward its periphery and is accompanied by magmatism, folding, and vertical surface movements. The paper presents observational data confirming the existence of such phenomena. The conditions of seismic wave propagation related to the complex distribution of thermal anomalies at various depths in the crust and mantle of the Carpathians and Subcarpathia.</jats:p>