An outline of historical seismicity studies in Catalonia

Tectonophysics,

193 (1991) 231-235

231

Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam

Short Communication

An outline of historical s~is~~ity studies in Catalonia C. Olivera 0 Servei

a, E. Banda b and A. Rota

a

Geolcigic de Catalunya, Dep. P. T. i 0. P. Generalitat de Catalunya, Diputacib, 92, E-08015 Barcelona, Sparn ’ Institut Jaume Almera, C.S.I. C. Marti i Franqub s/n, E08028 Barcelona, Spain (Received January, 1989; revised version accepted October, 1989)

Introduction

The seismicity level of this area is moderate. Nevertheless, some large earthquakes have occurred in

Our area of study, Catalonia, is located in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula (see inset in Fig. 1).

the past, the most important being the destructive series that struck a large region in the Pyrenees ’

MONTPELLE~~

/ /+ :

/

PERI’INY~

d i I

.

I Fig. 1. Map of Catalonia showing places where data on the March 3, 1373 earthquake are found. Rivers and main towns (in the 14th century) are indicated. Circles represent data included in Fontsere and IglCsies (1971), while asterisks represent new information. ~40-1951/91/~03.50

0 1991 - Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

C. OLIVERA

ET AL

of former

cata-

232

during

the first half of the 15th century.

the most

seismically

the study

of the Catalan

great

interest

because

and industrial The

hazard

zone is the Pyrenees,

coastal

region

is also of

of its population

interest

in

in this region

construction

of large

such as dams

and nuclear

to the

for

need

the

density

evaluation

of

as a consequence

of

engineering

good-quality

in this area, in which at intervals

structures

power plants,

cata-

level of seismicity

large earthquakes

of several centuries,

have octhese cata-

logues must go back as far as possible. The Geological

Survey

of Catalonia

started

in 1985 to investigate

historical

quake

through

archive

data

(Olivera

a systematic

and Banda,

Catalonia, neighbouring

areas,

a

earthrevision

1988). Our area of interest,

was extended

to include

which

logues.

Mezcua

lished

a listing

earthquakes

in

must

be considered

hazard.

In particular,

and Martinez-Solares of

Mogrebi

region

Instituto

Geogrifico

In

the

earthquakes

contained

catalogues

and

earthquakes

as the starting seismicity,

together

with

However,

point

complete

for any

in their catalogue

quakes

Review of historical seismic@

and

Rossello

earic

(in France),

Valencia

and

have

included

in

Islands

been

because most of the fundamental mentation for these areas can archives of Barcelona.

the

study

historical docube found in the

Important

instance

lected Spanish Mengel gional

by

several

authors

(see

have been the

revision

colof

catalogues by Muiioz and Udias, 1982). (1908, 1909, 1929) published the first recatalogue

for Catalonia

(both

contemhistorical

de la Corona of the Aragon-

were not investigated.

Spanish

and

French parts) for the period 122441919. Faura i Sans (1913) studied the period 122441873. The catalogue published by Galbis (1932, 1940) contains very valuable macroseismic data on the earthquakes in the Iberian Peninsula up to 1940. Munuera (1963, 1966) presented the seismic data up to 1965 in tabular form. Information on the northern part of the Pyrenees may be found in Vogt (1979) and in the data file SIRENE (1986). Surifiach and Rota (1982) published a regional

errors,

Suriiiach

which had catalogues,

for the region

most

false earthquakes

and dupli-

cated events had been detected in previous catalogues and pointed out by several authors (see for

tematic data

ran-

the Bal-

Previous cataiogues

Seismicity

data coming

important

kingdom),

Conflent

a

sources.

from original

sources, and extremely

Catalonia

of Cerdanya,

always

of the type of information;

earthquakes in the Spanish and French Pyrenees are of great interest. For historical reasons, earthin the territories

are included.

types of sources without

such as the “Arxius (the official archives

the seismic

on

of data

was not

archives, d’Arag6”

when evaluating

and

research

search for original

of the data were not derived porary

mono-

by Fontsere

references

domly from very different analysis

other

should be consid-

collection

of a systematic

a critical

of the

since a large quantity

the data

They included

Ibero-

the most valuable

is that published

historical

the

in the data bank

Iglesies (1971). This compilation ered

(1983) pubin

National.

seismic

graphs on historical

product

programme

as a result of a revision

data collection

has lead

earthquake

logues. Because of the moderate curred

catalogue

characteristics.

increasing

seismic the

active

Although

propagated could only

revision

in Fontserit

and Rota,

1982). These errors,

throughout the different be eliminated by a sys-

of the data contained

and

Iglesies

(1971)

principally

together

with

search for original sources of information. For this purpose an interdisciplinary group historians

and

seismologists

was

teams of historians,

specializing

periods,

the archives

investigated

formed.

in different

a of

Three time

for the periods:

(1) 14th and 15th centuries; (2) 16th centuries; and (3) the 18th century.

and

17th

The period 1372-1374 The first archival research involved the records of the “Cancelleria Reial”, which are found in the “Arxius de la Corona d’Arag6” in Barcelona. A systematic revision of the documents from the

AN

OUTLINE

period

OF HISTORICAL

January

(Riera,

SEISMICITY

1373 to December

1988). Table

tained

as a result

the events Iglesies

STUDIES

1374 was done

1 shows a list of events

of this research

previously

contained

be noted

with

in Fontsere

and

that two errors, produced

a duplication

of the same event,

firmed;

false events

these

logued

with intensity

VIII, 2,1374.

cation

been pointed

and Rota

(1982, 1984)

has made it possible

Evidence

new information

These results

confirm

2,

epicentre quake

previously unpublished have been found (see and

maximum

are extremely

intensity

difficult

of this earthwith the

available data; local research in Seu d’Urgel1 and Girona for new data is now being done.

that these centuries

of low seismic activity. activity

were a

Most of the reports

to the south

of Catalonia

The 18th century The 18th century has been studied in great detail. A systematic revision on the basis of the Fontsere and Iglesies catalogue has been carried out by archival research and the evaluation of historical

sources (Arranz

has allowed into

and Guallar,

1988). This

of events

(64 in total)

a classification

three

groups:

false

earthquakes

(33)

true

I

TABLE Listing

has yet been found.

in the region of Valencia.

accounts for Fig. 1). The

to estimate

for

these

false earthquakes from the catalogue. The important seismic activity of this period focuses on the earthquake of March 3, 1373; for this event, eight sites

sources

undertaken

the study has not been completed,

refer to seismic

research

eliminate

period

of original

The events reported by (1971) were taken as refer-

ence. Although

of this dupli-

and the present

these two centuries. Fontsere and Igltsies no significant

out by Surihach

to definitely

search and revision

et al., 1988) has also been

con-

and dates February

1373 and February had already

as

Extensive (Perez

cata-

have been

were previously

The 16th and 17th centuries

ob-

compared

(1971).

It should

233

IN CATALONIA

of earthquakes

according

to Fonts&

and

Igltsies,

1971 (left), and according

to the present

study

(right)

for the period

1372-1374 Date

Int.

Sites

Date

Int.

Sites

(MM)

(MM) Feb. 2,1372 Feb. 2, 1373

IX

Mar. 2, 1373

VIII

Tortosa, Barcelona,

UIIB,

Mar. 3. 1373

pending

Olot,

Tortosa,Barcelona, UllB, PerpinyB,

Perpiny?i

Cervera,

Vall d’Aran, Albalat Mar. 3,1373

Mar. 8, 1373

VII

IV

Mar. 3, 1373

VI(?)

Mar. 3, 1373

cv

Mar. 3, 1373

iv

Mar. 8, 1373


Mar. 11,1373 Mar. 18, 1373

III

Mar. 19,1373

VI

Mar. 19, 1373

VI(?)

May 3.1373

V

May 3,1373


May 22, 1373

II

May 22,1373


May 23.1373 May 24,1373

II II

May 23, 1373


July 22, 1373 Feb. 2, 1374

VIII

Olot,

Vie, LLeida, Montpellier,

de Cinca

C. OLIVERA

234

earthquakes three

(11) and doubtful

false earthquakes,

errors and duplications identified. been

Two

reported

two

with

VII.

Eleven

earthquakes

false

previously events because

as having

VIII

and

have

been

tion. Twenty and/or

events

serious

have been grouped

uncertainties

as true

and reliability

of existing

of the lack of reliable

IX,

intensity

classified

of authenticity

had

intensity

two with

of the sources and traceability ful because

have been

earthquakes

French

historians

as doubtsources

Arranz,

M. and

Geografico

Com-

munities (CEC). Within this framework, three sub-projects have just been started: (1) investigation of the 142771428 Pyrenean earthquake sequence; (2) review of the period 1685-1765 in the Pyrenees;

and (3) review

the 1693 Sicilian The seismic

period

1685-1765

active period

was chosen mentioned

of Spanish

sources

for

earthquake. in the Pyrenees.

for all participant CEC project

However,

it

teams of the above

in order

to have a com-

P., 1988.

Madrid,

y metoen Cata-

sobre

metodo-

de terremotos.

Institute

pp. 301-324.

A.M., 1984. The Catalan

earthquake

of

2, 1428. Eng. Geol., 20: 89- 97.

In:

en France

Les tremblements

de

du s&me

terre

Catalan

en France.

de

Mem.

96: 166-172.

i Sans, M., 1913. Sismologia

d’una

Fuentes hisdrica

de estudios

historica

B., 1979. Les effets

Ilaga

Catalana

&mica

d’Histbria

catalana.

propera Natural,

Estudi geotectbnic

a Barcelona. Barcelona,

Bol. Institucio

Vol. I, Mem. 2, pp.

155-176. Fontsere,

E. and

sismiques

IglCsies,

J.,

1971.

de ies terres catalanes

Salvador Galbis,

Casajuana,

entre 10s meridianos

Galbis,

Madrid,

de la zona

Mengel,

Catalans.

Sciences,

y paralelos

Catastral

y de

807 pp. sismico

de la zona

comprendida

5”E y 2O”W de Greenwich Geogrjfico

y paralelos

Catastral

y de

277 pp.

O., 1908. Apperqu

Pays Mengel,

Geografico

y 25“N, Tomo 11. tnstituto Madrid,

comprendida

5”E y 20°W de Greenwich

J., 1940. Catalog0

Estadistica,

de dades

547 pp,

sismico

45”N y 25”N. Tomo I. Instituto Estadistica,

Recopilacio

entre 1100 i 1906. Fundacio

Barcelona,

J.. 1932. Cat&logo

45’N

a particulary

mon time-window to assess standard methodologies and to calibrate historical earthquake data in

sur la tectonique

C. R. Assoc.

Fr. pour

et la sismicite

des

1’Avancement

des

13 pp.

O., 1909. Monographie

cataiane.

Bull. Sot.

des terratremols

Ramond.

Explorations

de la region des Pyrenees,

ler Sem., pp. 66-68.

Europe. The 1427-1428 cial interest since largest (1979)

National,

entre 10s meridianos

was not

with

participating

de la sismicidad

in: Jomadas

E. and Correig,

BRGM, Faura

of the European

Guallar.

el estudio

1700-1829.

1428.

by the Commission

seismologists

logia para la investigation

Cadiot,

Historical data search and investigation in Catalonia is now in progress under the three-year project “Review of Historical Seismicity”, spon-

Lopez

para

February

Final remarks

effort

together

References

Banda,

in the transmission

and

in a joint

teams

in this project.

l&a,

process.

sored

will be investigated by our research

dologia

informa-

historical

the Pyrenees undertaken

by transcription

in transmission,

of these

intensity

events (20). Thirty-

caused

ET Al..

earthquake sequence is of spethe intensities reached are the

reported for the Eastern and Banda and Correig

Mengel,

Mezcua.

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Muiioz,

as pointed

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(1984), a search for original sources is needed. One goal of the present research is to find new information to allow the separation of effects from different earthquakes which are probably mixed up in earlier studies. The study of these earthquakes is essential for evaluating seismic hazard at sites in Catalonia and Southern France. The effects of these large earthquakes on both sides of

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U. G. G. I. An. de Sis., Ser. B, Fast.

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