In the frame of the European Commission project "Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe" (SHARE), aiming at harmonizing seismic hazard at a European scale, the compilation of a homogeneous, European parametric earthquake catalogue was planned. The goal was to be achieved by considering the most updated historical dataset and assessing homogenous magnitudes, with support from several institutions. This paper describes the SHARE European Earthquake Catalogue (SHEEC), which covers the time window 1000-1899. It strongly relies on the experience of the European Commission project "Network of Research Infrastructures for European Seismology" (NERIES), a module of which was dedicated to create the European "Archive of Historical Earthquake Data" (AHEAD) and to establish methodologies to homogenously derive earthquake parameters from macroseismic data. AHEAD has supplied the final earthquake list, obtained after sorting J Seismol (2013) duplications out and eliminating many fake events; in addition, it supplied the most updated historical dataset. Macroseismic data points (MDPs) provided by AHEAD have been processed with updated, repeatable procedures, regionally calibrated against a set of recent, instrumental earthquakes, to obtain earthquake parameters. From the same data, a set of epicentral intensity-to-magnitude relations has been derived, with the aim of providing another set of homogeneous Mw estimates. Then, a strategy focussed on maximizing the homogeneity of the final epicentral location and Mw, has been adopted. Special care has been devoted also to supply location and Mw uncertainty. The paper focuses on the procedure adopted for the compilation of SHEEC and briefly comments on the achieved results.

Large earthquakes within stable continental regions (SCR) show that significant amounts of elastic strain can be released on geological structures far from plate boundary faults, where the vast majority of the Earth's seismic activity takes place. SCR earthquakes show spatial and temporal patterns that differ from those at plate boundaries and occur in regions where tectonic loading rates are negligible. However, in the absence of a more appropriate model, they are traditionally viewed as analogous to their plate boundary counterparts, occurring when the accrual of tectonic stress localized at long‐lived active faults reaches failure threshold. Here we argue that SCR earthquakes are better explained by transient perturbations of local stress or fault strength that release elastic energy from a prestressed lithosphere. As a result, SCR earthquakes can occur in regions with no previous seismicity and no surface evidence for strain accumulation. They need not repeat, since the tectonic loading rate is close to zero. Therefore, concepts of recurrence time or fault slip rate do not apply. As a consequence, seismic hazard in SCRs is likely more spatially distributed than indicated by paleoearthquakes, current seismicity, or geodetic strain rates.

Kawah Ijen is a composite volcano located at the easternmost part of Java island in Indonesia and hosts the largest natural acidic lake in the world. We have gathered all available historical reports on Kawah Ijen's activity since 1770 with the purpose of reviewing the temporal evolution of its activity. Most of these observations and studies have been conducted from a geochemical perspective and in punctuated scientific campaigns. Starting in 1991, the seismic activity and a set of volcanic lake parameters began to be weekly available. We present a database of those measurements that, combined with historical reports, allow us to review each eruption/unrest that occurred during the last two centuries. As of 2010, the volcanic activity is monitored by a new multi-disciplinary network, including digital seismic stations, and lake level and temperature measurements. This detailed monitoring provides an opportunity for better Editorial responsibility: G. Giordano C. Caudron ( ) ·

From the analysis of geological, geodetic and geophysical data we provide clear evidence of seismogenic faults capable of producing large earthquakes in intraplate Europe. Previous studies (Paulissen, Vandenberghe & Gullentops 1985;Van den Berg et al. 1994;Geluk et al. 1994) have yielded some constraints on the rate of crustal deformation along the Roer Valley, a graben structure crossing the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, and have allowed us to address the fundamental questions: can intraplate earthquakes rupture the surface in this part of 'stable' continental Europe, and if so, what is their return period? Detailed palaeoseismic investigations have been carried out in Belgium along a 10 km long fault scarp which is the morphological expression of the Feldbiss Fault, the southwestern border fault of the Roer Graben (Camelbeeck & Meghraoui 1996). The scarp is multiple and the frontal fault scarp offsets young deposits and alluvial terraces. Field investigations using geological and geomorphological methodologies combined with geophysical prospecting provide evidence of Holocene seismic surface faulting. From 14C dating it is suggested that the last earthquake along the fault scarp occurred between 610 AD and 890 AD. Levelling profiles across the scarp suggest that it produced a vertical coseismic displacement of 0.5-1 m along the scarp. If we suppose that the last surface-faulting earthquake ruptured the whole seismogenic layer (17 km thickness) over a minimum length (10 km) corresponding to the length of the Bree scarp with an average slip of 0.6 m, its seismic moment was at least 3.1×1018 N m (M W =6.3) for an average rigidity m=3×1010 Pa. By estimating the offset of the main terrace of the Maas River by slippage along the Feldbiss Fault, we calculate the average Late Pleistocene vertical deformation rate as 0.08±0.04 mm yr−1. Palaeoseismic information combining the trench and geomorphic observations suggests the occurrence of two surface-faulting earthquakes during the last 20 kyr. A third dates before 28-35 kyr BP. Then, if the time distribution of earthquakes is uniform, a return period of 12±5 ka and a vertical deformation rate of 0.06±0.04 mm yr−1 are inferred.

No abstract