Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Angola seismicity

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
Journal of Seismology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This work describes the development of the Angolan earthquake catalog and seismicity distribution in the Southwestern African Plate, in Angola. This region is one of the least seismically active, even for stable continental regions (SCRs) in the world. The maximum known earthquake had a magnitude of 6.0 Ms, while events with magnitudes of 4.5 have return period of about 10 years. Events with magnitude 5 and above occur with return period of about 20 years. Five seismic zones can be confirmed in Angola, within and along craton edges and in the sedimentary basins including offshore. Overall, the exposed cratonic regions tend to have more earthquakes compared to other regions such as sedimentary basins. Earthquakes tend to occur in Archaic rocks, especially inside preexisting weakness zones and in tectonic-magmatic reactivation zones of Mesozoic and Meso-Cenozoic, associated with the installation of a wide variety of intrusive rocks, strongly marked by intense tectonism. This fact can be explained by the models of preexisting weakness zones and stress concentration near intersecting structures. The Angolan passive margin is also a new region where seismic activity occurs. Although clear differences are found between different areas along the passive margin, in the middle near Porto Amboim city, seismic activity is more frequent compared with northwestern and southwestern regions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agrawal PN (1991) Engineering seismology. Oxford & IBH Publishing Company

  • Assumpção M, Dourado JC, Ribotta LC, Mohriak WU, Dias FL, Barbosa JR (2011) The São Vicente earthquake of 2008 April and seismicity in the continental shelf off SE Brazil: further evidence for flexural stresses. Geophys J Int 187:1076–1088. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2011.05198.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Assumpção M, Ferreira JM, Barros L, Bezerra FHR, França GS, Barbosa J, Menezes EAS, Ribotta LC, Pirchiner M, Do Nascimento AF, Dourado JC (2014) Intraplate seismicity in Brazil. In: Pradeep Talwani. (org.). Intraplate earthquakes. 1ed.Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 2014, v., p. 50-71

  • Brandão MGP (2003) Bacias Sedimentares de Angola. Pós-Graduação em Engenharia do Petróleo [s.l.] Sonangol Pesquisa e Produção, Luanda, Angola. (in Portuguese)

  • Brice SE, Cochran MD, Pardo G, Edwards AD (1982) Tectonics and sedimentation of the South Atlantic Rift Sequence: Cabinda, Angola: rifted margins: field investigations of margin structure and stratigraphy. In Studies in Continental Margin Geology (Vol. 34, pp. 5–18). Retrieved from http://search.datapages.com/data/specpubs/history2/data/a110/a110/0001/0000/0005.htm

  • Campbell DL (1978) Investigation of the stress-concentration mechanism for intraplate earthquakes. Geophys Res Lett 5(6):477–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costain JK, Bollinger GA (1987) Speer JA (1987) Hydroseismicity—a hypothesis for the role of water in the generation of intraplate seismicity. Geology 15(7):618–621. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1987)15<618:HHFTRO>2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crockett RN, Mason R (1968) Foci of mantle disturbance in southern Africa and their economic significance. Econ Geol 63(5):532–540. https://doi.org/10.2113/gsecongeo.63.5.532

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crosby AG, Fishwick S, White N (2010) Structure and evolution of the intracratonic Congo Basin. Geochem, Geophys, Geosyst 11(6). https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GC003014

  • Dawson JB (1970) The structural setting of African kimberlite magmatism. African Magmatism and Tectonics, Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, 321–335

  • ENAGM-Instituto Geológico de Angola. (1988) Notícia explicativa da carta geologica à escala 1:1000000. Luanda, Angola: [s.n.]. p. 194. (in portuguese)

  • Fontiela J, Bezzeghoud M, Rosset P, Borges JF, Cota RF (2014) Azores seismogenic zones. Comun Geológicas 101(Especial I):351–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Gangopadhyay A, Talwani P (2003) Symptomatic features of intraplate earthquakes. Seismol Res Lett 74:863–883. https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.74.6.863

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guiraud M, Buta-Neto A, Quesne D (2010) Segmentation and differential post-rift uplift at the Angola margin as recorded by the transform-rifted Benguela and oblique-to-orthogonal-rifted kwanza basins. Mar Pet Geol 27:1040–1068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2010.01.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta HK, Rastogi BK, Narain H (1972) Some discriminatory characteristics of earthquakes near the Kariba, Kremasta, and Koyna artificial lakes. Bull Seismol Soc Am 62(2):493–507 Retrieved from http://www.bssaonline.org/content/62/2/493.abstract

    Google Scholar 

  • Havskov J, Ottemöller L (2005), SEISAN: the earthquake analysis software for windows, Solaris, Linux and MacOSX, version 8.1, 259 pp, cent. Geocienc., Univ. Nac. Auton. de Mex., Querétaro

  • Johnston AC (1989) The seismicity of “stable continental interiors.” In: Earthquakes at North-Atlantic Passive Margins: Neotectonics and Postglacial Rebound, Springer, pp. 299–327r

  • Johnston AC (1996) Seismic moment assessment of earthquakes in stable continental regions-III. New Madrid 1811-1812, Charleston 1886 and Lisbon 1755. Geophys J Int 126:314–344. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1996.tb05294.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston AC, Kanter LR (1990) Earthquakes in stable continental crust. Sci Am 262(3):68–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, A. C., K. J. Coppersmith, L. R. Kanter, and C. A. Cornell (1994). The earthquakes of stable continental regions. Volume 1: Assessment of Large Earthquake Potential, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Palo Alto, California, TR-102261s-V1

  • Karner GD, Driscoll NW, McGinnis JP, Brumbaugh WD, Cameron NR (1997) Tectonic significance of syn-rift sediment packages across the Gabon-Cabinda continental margin. Mar Pet Geol 14:973–1000. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0264-8172(97)00040-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee WHK, Bennett RE, Meagher L (1972) A method for estimating magnitude of local earthquakes from signal duration. Open file report, USGS

  • Lienert, B. R. E. (1994) HYPOCENTER 3.2: a computer program for locating earthquakes locally, regionally and globally. Technical report, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics & Planetology

  • Llana-Fúnez S, López-Fernández C (2015) The seismogenic zone of the continental crust in Northwest Iberia and its relation to crustal structure. Tectonics 34:1751–1767. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015TC003877

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mogi K (1963) Some discussions on aftershocks, foreshocks and earthquake swarms: the fracture of a semi-infinite body caused by an inner stress origin and its relation to the earthquake phenomena (third paper). Bull. Earthquakes Res. Inst. 41:615–658

    Google Scholar 

  • Mogi K (1967) Regional variations in magnitude-frequency relation of earthquake. Bull Earthquakes Res Inst 45:313–325

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohriak WU (2003) Bacias sedimentares da margem continental Brasileira. In Geologia, Tectônica e Recursos Minerais do Brasil, Vol. 2003, CPRM Brasília, pp. 87–165. (in portuguese)

  • Moreira VS (1968) Contribuição para o estudo da sismicidade de Angola. In: Memórias [s.n.]Serviço Meteorológico de Angola (INAMET) Luanda, Angola. V5, p 15. (In portuguese)

  • Rajendran K, Rajendran CP (1999) Seismogenesis in the stable continental interiors: an appraisal based on two examples from India. Tectonophysics 305:355–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0040-1951(99)00020-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richter CF (1958) Elementary seismology. (San Francisco, California: W. H. Freeman & Co. Inc.)

  • Sandiford M, Egholm DL (2008) Enhanced intraplate seismicity along continental margins: some causes and consequences. Tectonophysics 457:197–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2008.06.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sbar ML, Sykes LR (1973) contemporary compressive stress and seismicity in eastern North America: an example of intra-plate tectonics. In Geological Society of America Bulletin (Vol. 84, pp. 1861–1882). Geological Society of America

  • Schlumberger (1991) Angola Well evaluation conference. Petroleum geology. 352 pages, Paris

  • Scholz CH (1968) Microfracturing and the inelastic deformation of rock in compression. J Geophys Res 3:1417–1432. https://doi.org/10.1029/JB073i004p01417

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulte SM, Mooney WD (2005) An updated global earthquake catalogue for stable continental regions: reassessing the correlation with ancient rifts. Geophys J Int 161(3):707–721

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sibuet J-C., Hay WW, Prunnier A, Montadert L, Hinz K, Fritsch J (1984) Early evolution of the South Atlantic Ocean: role of the rifting episode. In Covering Leg 75 of the cruises of the Drilling Vessel Glomar Challenger Walvis Bay, South Africa, to Recife, Brazil (Vol. 75, pp. 469–481). Retrieved from http://www.deepseadrilling.org/75/volume/dsdp75_07.pdf

  • Sieberg AH, (1932) Erdbebengeographie. Handbuch der Geophysik, Bd. 4, Lfg. 3, Borntraeger, Berlin

  • Boletim Sísmico (2018, February, 02) Retrieved from http://www.moho.iag.usp.br/eq/bulletin/

  • Stein S, Wysession M (2003) An introduction to seismology, earthquakes, and earth structure. Oxford, Ed., Blackwell. p. 498). Blackwell

  • Sykes LR (1978) Intraplate seismicity, reactivation of preexisting zones of weakness, alkaline magmatism, and other tectonism postdating continental fragmentation. In Reviews of Geophysics (Vol. 16, pp. 621–688). Wiley Online Library

  • Talwani P (1989) Characteristic features of intraplate earthquakes and the models proposed to explain them. In Earthquakes at North-Atlantic Passive Margins: Neotectonics and Postglacial Rebound (pp. 563–579). Springer

  • Talwani P (2014) Intraplate earthquakes, Cambridge University Press

  • Talwani P, Rajendran K (1991) Some seismological and geometric features of intraplate earthquakes. Tectonophysics 186:19–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/0040-1951(91)90383-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • USGS – Earthquakes Facts (2018, February, 01). Retrieved from https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/facts.php

  • Wiemer S (1996) Analysis of seismicity: new techniques and case studies, Ph.D. thesis, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska

  • Wiemer S (2001) A software package to analyze seismicity: ZMAP. Seism Res Lett 72(3):373–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zuñiga FR, Wyss M (2001) Most- and least-likely locations of large to great earthquakes along the Pacific coast of Mexico estimated from local recurrence times based on b-values. Bull Seismol Soc Am 91(6):1717–1728

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank anonymous referee for careful revision and positive criticism, which greatly improved our work. We also thank INAMET and GAMEL. GSF thanks CNPq for PQ grant 307255/2013-1. We would like to thank the reviewers and Chris Fianco to their insightful comments. Gabriel Brito de França for helping us translate this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Observatório Sismológico da Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil

    Francisco António Pereira Neto, George Sand França, Cristobal Condori, Giuliano Sant’Anna Marotta & Cristiano Naibert Chimpliganond

  2. Gabinete de Aproveitamento do Médio Kwanza (GAMEK), Luanda, Angola

    Francisco António Pereira Neto

  3. Instituto Geofísico del Perú, Ciencias de la Tierra Sólida, Lima, Peru

    Cristobal Condori

Authors
  1. Francisco António Pereira Neto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. George Sand França
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cristobal Condori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Giuliano Sant’Anna Marotta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Cristiano Naibert Chimpliganond
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to George Sand França.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Neto, F.A.P., França, G.S., Condori, C. et al. Angola seismicity. J Seismol 22, 1113–1126 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-018-9754-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-018-9754-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation