Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol.

12, EGU2010-11440, 2010 EGU General Assembly 2010 Author(s) 2010

Assessing the completeness of historical earthquake records in Austria and surrounding Central Europe
Asma Nasir (1), Wolfgang Lenhardt (2), Esther Hintersberger (1), and Kurt Decker (1)
(1) Department of Geodynamics and Sedimentology, Center for Earth Sciences, University Vienna, Austria (asma.nasir@univie.ac.at), (2) Zentralanstalt fr Meteorologie und Geodynamik, Vienna, Austria

Completeness of earthquake catalogues is a necessary condition for seismic hazard assessment since they are the base for the determination of a and b values of the Gutenberg-Richter relation. A new composite catalogue for Austria has been created based on data from four different catalogues of earthquakes in Austria (ZAMG, 2009; ACORN, 2004; Van Gils & Leydecker, 1991; Shebalin et al., 1998) including for the rst time also data from surrounding regions such as the Vienna Basin outside Austria and a buffer region 100km outside the boundary of the Austria and Vienna basin. The used earthquake catalogues cover different record length with a rst entry in 1048 AD. A reliable estimate of the a and b parameters of the GutenbergRichter Relation from this newly compiled dataset can be only given, if the new catalogue is checked for completeness. We determined the completeness intensity (Ic) and the completeness periods for the composite catalogue following the method described by Stepp (1972). This method supposes that the earthquake occurrences are Poisson-distributed and investigates (i) the minimum observation interval required to reach reliable estimates of mean recurrence periods, (ii) the time interval for which the catalogues may be regarded complete. Both intervals are functions of the intensity class. Ic is the smallest intensity above which every earthquake was recorded for a given time interval. The completeness period is the time interval in which the catalogue is complete for a given intensity range. As most of the catalogues records are pre-instrumental data, this completeness check was performed on intensity data avoiding ambiguities arising from intensity-magnitude conversion. In a second step, we repeated the completeness check, but this time based on magnitudes in order to determine the inuences of various magnitude conversions. For pre-instrumental events, we converted intensities into magnitudes using published intensity-magnitude conversion formula for each country. In order to get the completeness periods for various magnitude ranges, the combined catalogue as well as each subcatalogue have been analyzed following the method of Stepp (1972). We can show that the new composite catalogue fullls the critical minimum observation period for all intensity classes except IX and higher. A stable estimate of mean recurrence period of intensity IV is 80 years of homogeneous observations from 1900 to 1980 and for intensity V, the observation period is 120 years. A stable estimate of mean recurrence period for intensity VI is about 115 years and for intensity vii is 30 years. The homogeneous interval for maximum intensity VIII is 200 years. Maximum intensity IX earthquakes are not completely denitive for whole 962 years period. In addition, the analysis of each subcatalogue leads to similar results, except the ACORN catalogue. Therefore, the newly complied catalogue for Austria and surrounding areas is a suitable data base for seismic hazard assessment in Austria. References: ACORN, 2004, Catalogue of Earthquakes in the Region of the Alps - Western Carpathians Bohemian Massif for the period from 1267 to 2004, Computer File, Vienna (Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, Department of Geophysics) Brno (Institute of Physics of the Earth, University Brno). Van Gils, J.M. and G. Leydecker (1991): Catalogue of European earthquakes with intensities higher than

4. Commission of the European Communities - nuclear science and technology. 353 pp., 14 g., 1 tab.- ISBN 92-826-2506-0, Catalogue number: CD-NA-13406-EN-C. Brussels - Luxembourg 1991. Shebalin, N. V., Leydecker, G., et al. (1998): Earthquake Catalogue for Central and Southeastern Europe 342 BC - 1990 AD. European Commission, Report No. ETNU CT 93 - 0087, Brussels. Stepp, J.C., 1972. Analysis of completeness of the earthquake sample in the Puget Sound area and its effect on statistical estimates of earthquake hazard. Proc. of the 1st Int. Conf. on Microzonazion, Seattle, vol. 2, pp. 897910. ZAMG, 2009. Earthquake catalogue of felt earthquakes 1201 2009 A.D. (Austria). Computer File. Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG), Vienna Austria.