Updated seismotectonic zoning scheme of Metropolitan France, with reference to geologic and seismotectonic data

2013 ◽  
Vol 184 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Baize ◽  
Edward Marc Cushing ◽  
Francis Lemeille ◽  
Hervé Jomard

Abstract This work presents the seismotectonic zoning scheme of Metropolitan France developed by the IRSN (French Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety) within the framework of its seismic hazard assessment activities. It is the outcome of many years of work following the publication of the “seismotectonic atlas” in 1993 [Grellet et al., 1993]. This scheme supports the assessment of seismic hazard by IRSN. It takes into account the most recent data concerning the deep and surface geology, as well as those related to seismotectonics and tectonic activity. It finally includes 67 surface seismotectonic zones (STZ), as well as a catalogue of 74 faults or structures (named hereafter “potential active faults”) for which indications of Neogene to Quaternary displacement can be inferred. The description of the zoning scheme comes along with an estimation of the uncertainty on the boundary location between adjacent STZ. We also qualitatively determine a “relevance order” for each limit, so as to illustrate their reliability to separate regions of different seismogenic potential. Also, we attributed to the faults an indication whose purpose is to reflect the recent character of their activity, and thus their seismotectonic potential. This assessment of uncertainties was undertaken to better integrate the zoning scheme in the general approach, which arises from recent studies, namely the propagation of the uncertainties in seismic hazard evaluation, whether deterministic or probabilistic.

1999 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Giardini

The United Nations, recognizing natural disasters as a major threat to human life and development, designed the 1990-1999 period as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (UN/IDNDR; UN Res. 42/169/ 1987). Among the IDNDR Demonstration Projects is the Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program (GSHAP), launched in 1992 by the International Lithosphere Program (ILP) and implemented in the 1992-1999 period. In order to mitigate the risk associated to the recurrence of earthquakes, the GSHAP promoted a regionally coordinated, homogeneous approach to seismic hazard evaluation. To achieve a global dimension, the GSHAP established initially a mosaic of regions and multinational test areas, then expanded to cover whole continents and finally the globe. The GSHAP Global Map of Seismic Hazard integrates the results obtained in the regional areas and depicts Peak-Ground-Acceleration (PGA) with 10% chance of exceedance in 50 years, corresponding to a return period of 475 years. All regional results and the Global Map of Seismic Hazard are published in 1999 and available on the GSHAP homepage on http://seismo.ethz.ch/GSHAP/.


2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Jaboyedoff ◽  
M.-H. Derron ◽  
G. M. Manby

Abstract. Uplift gradients can provide the location of highly strained zones, which can be considered to be seismic. The Turan block (Central Asia) contains zones with high gradient of uplift velocities, above the threshold 0.04mm km-1year-1. Some of these zones are associated with important seismic activity and others are not correlated with any recent important recorded earthquakes, however, recent faults scarps as well as diverted rivers may indicate a recent tectonic activity. This threshold of gradient is probably a significant rheologic property of the upper crust. On the basis of these considerations the Uzboy river area is proposed as a potential high seismic hazard zone.


2019 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 2262-2275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Candia ◽  
Jorge Macedo ◽  
Miguel A. Jaimes ◽  
Carolina Magna‐Verdugo

ABSTRACT A new computational platform for seismic hazard assessment is presented. The platform, named SeismicHazard, allows characterizing the intensity, uncertainty, and likelihood of ground motions from subduction‐zone (shallow interface and intraslab) and crustal‐zone earthquakes, considering site‐specific as well as regional‐based assessments. The platform is developed as an object‐oriented MATLAB graphical user interface, and it features several state‐of‐the‐art capabilities for probabilistic and deterministic (scenario‐based) seismic hazard assessment. The platform integrates the latest developments in performance‐based earthquake engineering for seismic hazard assessment, including seismic zonation models, ground‐motion models (GMMs), ground‐motion correlation structures, and the estimation of design spectra (uniform hazard spectra, classical conditional mean spectrum (CMS) for a unique tectonic setting). In addition to these standard capabilities, the platform supports advanced features, not commonly found in existing seismic hazard codes, such as (a) computation of source parameters from earthquake catalogs, (b) vector‐probabilistic seismic hazard assessment, (c) hazard evaluation based on conditional GMMs and user‐defined GMMs, (d) uncertainty treatment in the median ground motions through continuous GMM distributions, (e) regional shaking fields, and (f) estimation of CMS considering multiple GMMs and multiple tectonic settings. The results from the platform have been validated against accepted and well‐documented benchmark solutions.


Author(s):  
L. Moratto ◽  
A. Vuan ◽  
A. Saraò ◽  
D. Slejko ◽  
C. Papazachos ◽  
...  

AbstractTo ensure environmental and public safety, critical facilities require rigorous seismic hazard analysis to define seismic input for their design. We consider the case of the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is a pipeline that transports natural gas from the Caspian Sea to southern Italy, crossing active faults and areas characterized by high seismicity levels. For this pipeline, we develop a Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) for the broader area, and, for the selected critical sites, we perform deterministic seismic hazard assessment (DSHA), by calculating shaking scenarios that account for the physics of the source, propagation, and site effects. This paper presents a DSHA for a compressor station located at Fier, along the Albanian coastal region. Considering the location of the most hazardous faults in the study site, revealed by the PSHA disaggregation, we model the ground motion for two different scenarios to simulate the worst-case scenario for this compressor station. We compute broadband waveforms for receivers on soft soils by applying specific transfer functions estimated from the available geotechnical data for the Fier area. The simulations reproduce the variability observed in the ground motion recorded in the near-earthquake source. The vertical ground motion is strong for receivers placed above the rupture areas and should not be ignored in seismic designs; furthermore, our vertical simulations reproduce the displacement and the static offset of the ground motion highlighted in recent studies. This observation confirms the importance of the DSHA analysis in defining the expected pipeline damage functions and permanent soil deformations.


2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 6719-6784 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Vamvakaris ◽  
C. B. Papazachos ◽  
C. Papaioannou ◽  
E. M. Scordilis ◽  
G. F. Karakaisis

Abstract. In the present work we present an effort to define a new seismic zonation model of area type sources for the broader Aegean area, which can be readily used for seismic hazard assessment. The definition of this model is based not only on seismicity information but incorporates all available seismotectonic and neotectonic information available for the study area, in an attempt to define zones which show not only a rather homogeneous seismicity release but also exhibit similar active faulting characteristics. For this reason, all available seismological information such as fault plane solutions and the corresponding kinematic axes have been incorporated in the analysis, as well as information about active tectonics, such as seismic and active faults. Moreover, various morphotectonic features (e.g. relief, coastline) were also considered. Finally, a revised seismic catalogue is employed and earthquake epicentres since historical times (550 BC–2008) are considered, in order to define areas of common seismotectonic characteristics, that could constitute a discrete seismic zone. A new revised model of 113 earthquake seismic zones of shallow earthquakes for the broader Aegean area is finally proposed. Using the proposed zonation model, a detailed study is performed for the catalogue completeness for the recent instrumental period. Using the defined completeness information, seismicity parameters (such as G–R values) for the 113 new seismic zones have been calculated, and their spatial distribution was also examined. The spatial variation of the obtained b values shows an excellent correlation with the geotectonic setting in the area, in good agreement with previous studies. Moreover, a quantitative estimation of seismicity is performed in terms of the mean return period, Tm, of large (M ≥ 6.0) earthquakes, as well as the most frequent maximum magnitude, Mt, for a typical time period (T = 50 yr), revealing significant spatial variations of seismicity levels within the study area. The new proposed seismic zonation model and its parameters can be readily employed for seismic hazard assessment for the broader Aegean area.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alik Ismail-Zadeh ◽  
Olympa Baro ◽  
Abhishek Kumar

<p>The Shillong Plateau is an earthquake-prone region in the northeastern India. Based on regional seismotectonic studies, we present the results of seismic hazard assessment, both deterministic (DSHA) and probabilistic (PSHA), and map peak horizontal accelerations (PHA) for three largely populated districts within the Shillong Plateau - the East Khasi hills, the Ri-Bhoi, and the West Garo hills. The hazard analysis methodology is based on the analysis of 72 earthquake sources (active faults) located within 500 km seismotectonic region around the plateau. Using an average sample log-likelihood approach, suitable ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) are identified. As a variation in hypocentral distances can affect the ranks (or weights) of selected GMPEs, DSHA is performed separately for the three selected districts. DSHA shows that the northern part of the East Khasi hills, eastern part of Ri-Bhoi district and the West Garo hills districts exhibit the highest PHA value. DSHA indicates that the Barapani, Oldham, and Dauki faults influence significantly the seismic hazard of the studied region. In the case of PSHA, the annual frequency of exceedance of ground motions for three populated cities (Shillong city, Nongpoh, and Tura), located within above three districts respectively, are determined. Individual hazard curves indicate that the Barapani fault possesses the highest frequency of seismic hazard for Shillong city and Nongpoh. At Tura, both Eocene hinge zone and Dauki faults are responsible for the highest frequency of seismic hazard. The results of the PSHA are compared with those obtained using the DSHA approach indicating a difference between the two approaches for the West Garo hills district. It is shown that this difference is associated with the Oldham fault located near the district. The fault can produce a great earthquake, although with a lower probability of occurrence compared to a few other faults capable of producing smaller events with higher probability of occurrence. Hence, in the PSHA, the effect of the Oldham fault is less pronounced in terms of the design life of a structure, than in the case of the DSHA.</p>


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