The Contribution of Paleoseismology to Earthquake Hazard Evaluations

International audiencePaleoseismology is a relatively young method of earthquake studies at the interface between geology and seismology. Paleoseismic investigations have enriched the fault rupture database in some active zones (e.g., California, Turkey, Italy) and contribute to a significant progress in the concept of earthquake cycle. The increasing number of paleoseismic studies in the last decades was dedicated primarily to the major continental faults that experienced large earthquakes (Mw > 7). The validity of paleoseismic results was tested in regions with long historical catalogs and well-documented past earthquake ruptures as along the North Anatolian Fault and Dead Sea Fault. Major advances in the calculation of realistic earthquake hazard assessment are achieved when earthquake geology and paleoseismic data are available. Among case studies, the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of the Istanbul (Turkey) region, based on earthquake scenarios revealed the influence of paleoseismic data on the ground motion equations. The integration of paleoseismology in earthquake hazard projects is, however , not yet systematic and consequently many earthquake hazard maps include large uncertainties and approximations. 10.1 INTRODUCTION Geological investigations applied to the study of past earthquakes are now at the forefront of seismological and seismic hazard research. Also known as paleoseismology, these investigations include the study of active faulting, seismites (sedimentary structures produced by shaking), liquefaction features, and other effects of earthquake shaking (e.g., rockfalls and landslides) that can be recorded in superficial geological units (Soloneko, 1973; McCalpin, 1996). The record of permanent earthquake deformation at the surface is essential in Earthquake Hazard, Risk, and Disasters. http://dx