A decade of seismicity in metropolitan France (2010–2019): the CEA/LDG methodologies and observations
We summarize ten years of the French seismicity recorded by the Geophysical and Detection Laboratory (LDG) of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) network from 2010 to 2019. During this period, 25 265 natural earthquakes were detected by the LDG and located within metro...
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EDP Sciences
2021-01-01
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| Series: | BSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin |
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| Online Access: | https://www.bsgf.fr/articles/bsgf/full_html/2021/01/bsgf200045/bsgf200045.html |
| _version_ | 1819133701569642496 |
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| author | Duverger Clara Mazet-Roux Gilles Bollinger Laurent Guilhem Trilla Aurélie Vallage Amaury Hernandez Bruno Cansi Yves |
| author_facet | Duverger Clara Mazet-Roux Gilles Bollinger Laurent Guilhem Trilla Aurélie Vallage Amaury Hernandez Bruno Cansi Yves |
| author_sort | Duverger Clara |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We summarize ten years of the French seismicity recorded by the Geophysical and Detection Laboratory (LDG) of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) network from 2010 to 2019. During this period, 25 265 natural earthquakes were detected by the LDG and located within metropolitan France and its immediate vicinity. This seismicity contributes to more than 47% of the natural earthquakes instrumentally recorded since 1962 (mainly due to the improvement of network capacity), and includes about 28% of the most significant earthquakes with a magnitude ML ≥ 4.0. Recent seismic events therefore significantly expand the available national catalogues. The spatial distribution of 2010–2019 earthquakes is broadly similar to the previously recorded instrumental pattern of seismicity, with most of the seismic activity concentrated in the French Alps, the Pyrenees, Brittany, the upper Rhine Graben and the Central Massif. A large part of the seismic activity is related to individual events. The largest earthquakes of the last ten years include the November 11, 2019 Le Teil earthquake with ML 5.4 and epicentral intensity VII–VIII, which occurred in the Rhone valley; the April 28, 2016 La Rochelle earthquake with ML 5.1 and epicentral intensity V, which occurred at the southernmost extremity of the Armorican Massif in the vicinity of the Oléron island; and the April 7, 2014 Barcelonnette earthquake with ML 5.1 and epicentral intensity V–VI, which occurred in the Ubaye valley in the Alps. In 2019, two other moderate earthquakes of ML 5.1 and ML 4.9 stroke the western part of France, in Charente-Maritime and Maine-et-Loire departments, respectively. The recent moderate earthquake occurrences and the large number of small earthquakes recorded give both the potential to revise some regional historical events and to determine more robust frequency-magnitude distributions, which are critical for seismic hazard assessment but complex due to low seismicity rates in France. The LDG seismic network installed since the early 1960s also allows a better characterization of the temporal structure of seismicity, partly diffused and in the form of mainshock-aftershocks sequences or transient swarms. These aspects are important in order to lower the uncertainties associated to seismogenic sources and improve the models in seismic hazard assessment for metropolitan France. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T09:51:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a1e45cbd82fd407ba51a8b12eeb56eb8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1777-5817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T09:51:29Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | EDP Sciences |
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| series | BSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin |
| spelling | doaj.art-a1e45cbd82fd407ba51a8b12eeb56eb82022-12-21T18:30:21ZengEDP SciencesBSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin1777-58172021-01-011922510.1051/bsgf/2021014bsgf200045A decade of seismicity in metropolitan France (2010–2019): the CEA/LDG methodologies and observationsDuverger Clarahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7814-1546Mazet-Roux GillesBollinger Laurenthttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5116-860XGuilhem Trilla AurélieVallage Amauryhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0380-2848Hernandez Brunohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9028-2771Cansi YvesWe summarize ten years of the French seismicity recorded by the Geophysical and Detection Laboratory (LDG) of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) network from 2010 to 2019. During this period, 25 265 natural earthquakes were detected by the LDG and located within metropolitan France and its immediate vicinity. This seismicity contributes to more than 47% of the natural earthquakes instrumentally recorded since 1962 (mainly due to the improvement of network capacity), and includes about 28% of the most significant earthquakes with a magnitude ML ≥ 4.0. Recent seismic events therefore significantly expand the available national catalogues. The spatial distribution of 2010–2019 earthquakes is broadly similar to the previously recorded instrumental pattern of seismicity, with most of the seismic activity concentrated in the French Alps, the Pyrenees, Brittany, the upper Rhine Graben and the Central Massif. A large part of the seismic activity is related to individual events. The largest earthquakes of the last ten years include the November 11, 2019 Le Teil earthquake with ML 5.4 and epicentral intensity VII–VIII, which occurred in the Rhone valley; the April 28, 2016 La Rochelle earthquake with ML 5.1 and epicentral intensity V, which occurred at the southernmost extremity of the Armorican Massif in the vicinity of the Oléron island; and the April 7, 2014 Barcelonnette earthquake with ML 5.1 and epicentral intensity V–VI, which occurred in the Ubaye valley in the Alps. In 2019, two other moderate earthquakes of ML 5.1 and ML 4.9 stroke the western part of France, in Charente-Maritime and Maine-et-Loire departments, respectively. The recent moderate earthquake occurrences and the large number of small earthquakes recorded give both the potential to revise some regional historical events and to determine more robust frequency-magnitude distributions, which are critical for seismic hazard assessment but complex due to low seismicity rates in France. The LDG seismic network installed since the early 1960s also allows a better characterization of the temporal structure of seismicity, partly diffused and in the form of mainshock-aftershocks sequences or transient swarms. These aspects are important in order to lower the uncertainties associated to seismogenic sources and improve the models in seismic hazard assessment for metropolitan France.https://www.bsgf.fr/articles/bsgf/full_html/2021/01/bsgf200045/bsgf200045.htmlseismicitymetropolitan francenational seismic networkbulletins and catalogueseismic hazardlocal magnitude |
| spellingShingle | Duverger Clara Mazet-Roux Gilles Bollinger Laurent Guilhem Trilla Aurélie Vallage Amaury Hernandez Bruno Cansi Yves A decade of seismicity in metropolitan France (2010–2019): the CEA/LDG methodologies and observations BSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin seismicity metropolitan france national seismic network bulletins and catalogue seismic hazard local magnitude |
| title | A decade of seismicity in metropolitan France (2010–2019): the CEA/LDG methodologies and observations |
| title_full | A decade of seismicity in metropolitan France (2010–2019): the CEA/LDG methodologies and observations |
| title_fullStr | A decade of seismicity in metropolitan France (2010–2019): the CEA/LDG methodologies and observations |
| title_full_unstemmed | A decade of seismicity in metropolitan France (2010–2019): the CEA/LDG methodologies and observations |
| title_short | A decade of seismicity in metropolitan France (2010–2019): the CEA/LDG methodologies and observations |
| title_sort | decade of seismicity in metropolitan france 2010 2019 the cea ldg methodologies and observations |
| topic | seismicity metropolitan france national seismic network bulletins and catalogue seismic hazard local magnitude |
| url | https://www.bsgf.fr/articles/bsgf/full_html/2021/01/bsgf200045/bsgf200045.html |
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