Abstract
The 2003 Ml = 5.4 Rambervillers earthquake, north-east of France, is the largest seismic event recorded north of the Alps since the 1992 Ms = 5.3, I0 = VII, Roermond earthquake, Netherlands. With a maximum macroseismic intensity of VI-VII EMS-98, the 2003 event was broadly felt to a distance of 300 km from the epicentre. It provides a unique opportunity to test and compare the different procedures used in France, Germany and Switzerland when evaluating macroseismic intensities. The main purpose of this paper is to present a common transfrontier macroseismic map based on the EMS-98 intensity scale. Maximum horizontal accelerations recorded in the area are compared to the intensity values, and we propose to use a differential technique to re-estimate the magnitude of the 1682 Remiremont, I0 = VIII, earthquake, which occurred 40 km south of Rambervillers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Audin, L., Avouac, J.Ph., Flouzat, M. and Plantet, J.L., 2002, Fluid-driven seismicity in a stable tectonic context: The Remiremont fault zone, Vosges, France, Geophys. Res. Lett. 29, 1091–1094.
Bakun, W.H. and Wentworth, C.M., 1997, Estimating earthquake location and magnitude from seismic intensity data, Bull. Seisml. Soc. Am. 87, 1502–1521.
BRGM, EDF, IRSN, 2004, SisFrance. http://www.sisfrance.net/
Camelbeeck, T. and Meghraoui, M., 1996, Large earthquakes in Northern Europe more likely than once thought, Eos 77, 405–409.
Cara, M. and Sira, C., 2003, Note préliminaire sur le séisme de Rambervillers du 22 février 2003 – observations macrosismiques, BCSF report, EOST, Strasbourg, p. 112.
Di Maro, R and Tertulliani, A., 1990, The relation between intensity and magnitude for italian earthquakes, Pageoph 132, 711–718.
Fäh, D., Giardini, D., Bay, F., Bernardi, F., Braunmiller, J., Deichmann, N., Furrer, M., Gantner, L., Gisler, M., Isenegger, D., Jimenez, M.J., Kästli, P., Koglin, R., Masciadri, V., Rutz, M., Scheidegger, C., Schibler, R., Schorlemmer, D., Schwarz-Zanetti, G., Steimen, S., Sellami, S., Wiemer, S. and Wössner, J., 2003, Earthquake catalogue of Switzerland (ECOS) and the related macroseismic database, Eclogae Geol. Helv. 96, 219–236.
Faury, G., 1979, Le séisme de Remiremont en 1682. In: Vogt, J. (ed.), Les tremblements de terre en France, Mémoire du BRGM 96, Orléans, 179–188.
Frankel, A., 1994, Implications of felt area-magnitude relations for earthquake scaling and the average frequency of perceptible ground motion, Bull. seism. Soc. Am. 84, 462–465.
Grünthal, G. and Wahlström, R., 2003, An Mw based earthquake catalogue for central, northern and northwestern Europe using a hierarchy of magnitude conversions, J. of Seismology 7, 507–531.
Grünthal, G. (ed), 1993, European Macroseismic Scale 1992 (up-dated MSK-scale), Eur. Seism. Commission, Working Group Macroseismic Scales, Luxembourg.
Grünthal, G. (ed), 1998, European Macroseismic Scale 1998 EMS-98, Cahiers du Centre Européen de Géodynamique et de Séismologie vol.15, Luxembourg, p. 99.
Haessler, H. and Hoang Trong Pho, 1984, La crise sismique de Remiremont (Vosges) de décembre 1984: implications tectoniques régionales, C.R. Acad. Sc. Paris 300 (Série II), 671–675.
Jacques, E., Van der Woerd, J. and Frogneux, M., 2005, The Rambervillers February 22, 2003, Ml=5.4 earthquake: Focal mechanism and afterschock activity (in preparation).
Kárník, V., 1969, Seismicity of the European area, D. Reidel, Dordrecht, Netherland, pp. 364.
Lambert, J., 1997, Les tremblements de terre en France, Editions du BRGM, Orléans, France, p. 196.
Levret, A., Backe, J.C. and Cushing, M., 1994, Atlas of macroseismic maps for French earthquakes with their principal characteristics, Natural Hazards 10, 19–46.
Molin, D., 1995, Consideration on the assessment of macroseismic intensity, Ann. di Geof. 38, 805–810.
Musson, R.M.W. and Cecic, I., 2002, Macroseismology. In: Lee, W. H. K., Kanamori, H., Jennings, P.C. and Kisslinger, C. (eds), Earthquake and engineering seismology, Acad. Press, Amsterdam, part A, pp. 807–822.
Schlich, R. and Rothé, J.P., 1983, Observations sismologiques, sismicité de la France entre 1971 et 1977, BCSF, Strasbourg, pp. 208.
Scotti, O., Levret, A. and Hernandez, B., 1999, Verification of macroseismic methods on five ML > 5 instrumental earthquake in France, Phys. Chem. Earth (A) 24, 495–499.
Sieberg, A., 1932, Die Erdbeben, Handbuch der Geophysik 4, tab. 102, Berlin, pp. 527–686.
Souriau, A., 2005, Quantifying felt events: A joint analysis of intensities, accelerations and dominant frequencies, Jour. of Seismology (submitted).
Sponheuer, W. and Kárník, V., 1964, Neue seismische Skala. In: Sponheuer, W. (ed), Proc. 7th Symposium of the ESC, Jena, 24–30 Sept. 1962, Veröff. Inst. f. Bodendyn. u. Erdbebenforsch. Jena d. Deutschen Akad. d. Wiss. 77, 69–76.
Tertulliani, A., Maramai, A., De Rubeis, V., Hoang Trong, P. and Herquel, G., 1992, French-Italian border earthquakes, In Cecic. I. (ed), Proc. II AB Workshop on Macroseismic Methods, Seism. Surv. of Slovenia, 29–45.
Tetulliani, A., C, Cecic, I. and Godec, M., 1999, Unification of macroseimic data collection procedures: A pilot project for border earthquake assessment, Natural Hazards 10, 221–232.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cara, M., Brüstle, W., Gisler, M. et al. Transfrontier macroseismic observations of the Ml = 5.4 earthquake of February 22, 2003 at Rambervillers, France. J Seismol 9, 317–328 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-005-6853-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-005-6853-1