Figure 8
Source publication
The French Central Seismological Bureau (BCSF) is celebrating its centenary this year. However, from the macroseismic studies point of view, which is the main activity of BCSF, it would be more accurate to celebrate its 92nd anniversary of activity. This is because between 1978 and 1986, macroseismic studies were assigned to the Geological and Mini...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... From the cross-checking of these two maps, Rothé constructed a new version of the seismic hazard map for metropolitan France that he published in 1967 (cf. Figure 8) [Rothé, 1967]. This new map divided France into four regions of different seismicity according to the maximum probable intensity expected: a zeroseismicity zone, a VI-VII intensity zone, a VII-VIII intensity zone and a IX-X intensity zone. ...
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Citations
... As an introduction, Roger [2021] presents the major role of E. and J.-P. Rothé in the rise of the BCSF from 1921 to the 1960s, followed by the more difficult period of the 1970s and 1980s when its hegemony was challenged. ...
... SISFRANCE (BRGM, EDF, IRSN) is the French macro seismic database ofhistorical seismicity, a collection of written archives containing mentions of earth quakes that occurred in metropolitan France and surrounding regions and that have been interpreted into values of macroseismic intensity following the MSK-64 intensity scale [Medvedev et al., 1967]. The database incorporates contemporaneous macroseismic data from BCSF (Bureau Central Sismologique Français), between 1921 (birth of BCSF) and 2007, andfrom BRGM for the period from 1978 to 1987 [see Siraetal., 2021, Roger, 2021. ...
... The challenge in the 1970s was indeed to move from the Rothé's catalog toward a truly "historical catalog" where each event was critically assessed after a systematic historical approach. For the events preceding the 19th century, Rothé's catalog indeed represented the state of the art at the time [Roger, 2021], however mainly founded on the numerous publications and interpretations from Perrey [e.g. Perrey, 1845]. ...
... This is indeed the first ma jor earthquake for several generations [Vogt, 2003] in the French territory. The Central Meteorological Bu reau took matters in hand with a detailed macroseismic survey published by Angot and Lemoine [1910], which led, a few years later, to the creation of the BCSF in 1921 [Fréchet, 2008, Roger, 2021 and to a systematization of the macroseismic surveys during the 20th century. Resorting to other sources of information remains, however, necessary and can still clarify our knowledge, in particular, because the action of the BCSF has not been continuous and homogeneous over the century [Roger, 2021, Sira et al., 2021. ...
The SISFRANCE database aims to collect and interpret archives relating the historical seismicity in metropolitan France. The database presently contains some 12,500 documents that allow to define 108,832 macroseismic data points, for a total of 6427 events, of which 5743 can be qualified as real earthquakes. Although half of these events are and will probably remain poorly known, completing our knowledge of historical earthquakes remains a fundamental element for the definition of seismic hazard and the understanding of seismicity in France and low to moderate seismicity regions in general. The first aim of this paper is to explain the state of the art of the database and remind end users how the limits introduced by the necessary interpretation of archival data are translated into quality factors that should be carefully considered when using such data for seismotectonic and seismic hazard purposes.Originally built as part of the necessary datasets to define the seismic hazard for nuclear facilities, the SISFRANCE database is the result of 40 years of work within a consortium bringing together the French civil nuclear operator (EDF), the French geological survey (BRGM), and the French institute of nuclear safety (IRSN). SISFRANCE is also the heir to archival research carried out since the second half of the 19th century, thus constituting the richest collection of data related to historical seismicity in France. The second aim of this paper is to explain to end users the current state of archival research within the SISFRANCE consortium, present avenues for future research strategies, and list potential improvements of the database structure.Archival research within the SISFRANCE consortium, no longer carried out by a dedicated historian since 2018, is presently being pursued by engaging individual researchers or academics, focusing research on specific archives and regions, as well as by developing data-mining techniques to exploit the increasing wealth of accessible numerical archives. Given the new impetus of French governmental research agencies that encourage transdisciplinarity research, SISFRANCE is also pursuing the idea of further engaging the academic community of historians and seismologists, presently greatly underrepresented in the field of historical seismicity in spite of the importance of this data, fundamental for any seismotectonic and seismic hazard study in France.
... Since 1921, macroseismic questionnaires are collected by the BCSF, except during a few years between 1978 and 1986 when the French "Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières" (BRGM) was in charge of this task [Roger, 2021]. These questionnaires were fulfilled by local authorities and/or individuals after each felt earthquake. ...
The French Central Seismological Bureau (BCSF) was set up in Strasbourg in July 1921 by a governmental decision. Since then, BCSF is in charge of the macroseismic survey for the French territories. One of its main tasks is to determine macroseismic intensity in the different localities after each felt earthquake. This paper shows how the way of collecting macroseismic information evolved with time through the analysis of questionnaires sent to various dissemination networks and by using different methods and macroseismic scales. In context of a renewal of interest in macroseismic data,
we present their main uses, as well as some perspectives for the forthcoming years. The quality of macroseismic data, together with the improvement of the analytical methods and the accessibility to BCSF data, in particular those from our archives, remain at the heart of our concerns and objectives.
