INQUA TERPRO - Focus Area on Paleoseismicity and Active Tectonics

The SubCommission on Paleoseismicity: Methods Criteria and Dating, following the suggestion of the Executive Committee elected in Cairns, will adopt the intercongress period 2007-2001 the new definition of "Focus Area on Paleosismicity and Active Tectonics". It aims at promoting methodological studies on seismically-induced environmental effects through paleoseismological research.

A network of more than 80 geologists, seismologists and engineers with expertise in this sector is connected by this focus area, encouraging scientific exchange and collaborative efforts.
The structure of the Focus Area is composed by one President and three Vice Presidents. The Scientific Secretary is based in APAT.

What's new?

• The infrastructure of the EEE catalogue remote implementation is ready to collect standard information on environmental effects induced by recent, historical and paleoseismic events. http://www.eeecatalog.sinanet.apat.it/login.php
  Authors of data collection will be formally cited in the catalogue, and their contribution will be acknowledged through a certificate formally issued by the INQUA Focus Area.
• Participants to the project are therefore strongly encouraged to compile the catalogue with available datasets on the EEEs induced by a seismic event, even if not exhaustive of the entire scenario. In fact, preliminary tests are showing that beyond such differences in data quality, resolution and completeness, an intensity assessment is possible. More information are in the EEE Catalogue Guidelines.
• The Palaeoseismology: historical and prehistorical records of earthquake ground effects for seismic hazard assessment GSL Special Volume n. 316 edited by K. Reicherter, A.M. Michetti and P.G. Silva, contains papers that address scientific and technical problems with the compilation and analysis of historical and pre-historical records of earthquake induced ground and environmental effects, for earthquake intensity mapping and seismic hazard assessment. In the volume are collected several applications of the ESI 2007 scale in different geological settings and tectonics regimes, including discussions of the advantages and problems encountered, and comparisons with other earthquakes.
  Book Review

A new project for the 2008-2011 Intercongress period

A new project "A global catalogue and mapping of earthquake environmental effects" has been funded by the INQUA Executive Committee for the period 2008-2011. It aims at

• compiling a global catalogue of earthquake environmental effects;
• disseminating the ESI 2007 scale in the scientific and technical community.

The activities for 2009 listed in the 2009 Work Plan have been approved by the INQUA Executive Committee.

The project is in continuity with the 2003-2007 INQUA project which ended in Cairns, where the ESI 2007 seismic intensity scale, based only on earthquake environmental effects, has been ratified.

The EEE catalogue will be also a contribute to the GEO initiative, Subtask "Systematic Monitoring for Geohazards Risk Assessment (DI-09-01). For further details go to the 2009-2011 GEOSS Work Plan.

The First Project Meeting was held on August 9, 2008, during the 33 ^rd International Geological Congress in Oslo.

The Second Project Meeting was held on February 22^nd 2009, during the Field Trip Workshop "The Dead Sea Rift as natural laboratory for earthquake behaviour: prehistorical, historical and recent seismicity" (16^th - 23^rd February, 2009).

The Third Project Meeting was held during the Workshop on Earthquake Archaeology and Paleoseismology in Baelo Claudia Roman ruins, Southern Spain (7^th - 13^th September, 2009).

For further information, please contact the Scientific Secretary.