The French macroseismic database SISFRANCE: objectives, resultsand perspectives

Abstract

To comply with nuclear safety requirements, an in-depth research program for the revision of existing catalogues was initiated back in 1974. The priority of the partners involved in the SISFRANCE project was to establish the most exhaustive documentary databank in order to construct an intensity macroseismic database, concerning both epicentral and punctual observations. The architecture of the SISFRANCE database is presented. The strength of this parametric database is the attribution of reliability coefficients at all levels of interpretations going from the documentary sources to the final intensity estimate. To ensure homogeneity of the database, a general guideline was defined. The resulting macroseismic relational database SISFRANCE contains 65000 intensity observations attesting to the existence of 5283 earthquakes (575 with Io = VI) that have been felt on the French metropolitan territory over the past one thousand years. Thanks to the homogeneous methodology and to the continuous collaboration between BRGM, EDF and IRSN for the past 30 years, SISFRANCE is today a reference database and a key tool for seismic hazard assessment.