Seismicity of Algeria from 1365 to 2013: maximum observed intensity map (MOI2014)

• Autores: A. Ayadi, Mourad Bezzeghoud
• Localización: Seismological Research Letters, ISSN 0895-0695, ISSN-e 1938-2057, Vol. 86, Nº. 1, 2015, págs. 236-244
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Algeria is one of the most seismically active areas in the Mediterranean basin. The available catalogs reported numerous destructive earthquakes striking different regions, such as Algiers (1365, maximum observed intensity Io=X; 1716, Io=X; Ambraseys and Vogt, 1988), Oran (1790, Io=X; Lopez Marinas and Salord, 1990), Djidjelli (1856, Io=IX; Ambraseys, 1982), Orléansville (1854, Ms 6.7; Rothé, 1950), El Asnam (1980, Ms 7.3; Yielding et al., 1989), Constantine (1985, Ms 5.9; Ousadou et al., 2013), Tipasa-Chenoua (1989, Ms 6.0; Bounif et al., 2003), Mascara (1994, Ms 6.0; Ayadi et al., 2002), and Zemmouri (2003, Mw 6.8; Harbi, Maouche, Ousadou, et al., 2007; Ayadi et al., 2008). This seismicity is related to the collision between the African and Eurasian plates and is located within the Tell Atlas of Algeria along the plate boundary zone. Two periods that are related to the installation of the Algerian seismic network are identified from the seismic catalog of Algeria: the pre-1910 and post-1910 periods.

    Before 1900, numerous authors conducted seismic studies following the macroseismic approach, such as Perrey (1847), Chesneau (1892), and Montessus de Ballore (1892). All of these studies were based on human perception of shaking along with interpretations of intensity and descriptions of each earthquake�s effects and damage. Isoseismal curves were drawn for each earthquake showing the extent of damage near the epicenter and the attenuation of the macroseismic intensity. The absence of instruments in Algeria before 1900 confined the seismological studies to their macroseismic aspect until 1910, which coincides with the implementation of the first seismological station in Algiers and began the instrumental era of seismological surveys in Algeria. Before 1910, all of the seismic events were studied by evaluating the intensity