Past and Future of Historical Seismicity Studies in France - Historical Seismology: Interdisciplinary Studies of Past and Recent Earthquakes - page 125

Past and Future of Historical Seismicity
Studies in France

J. Frechet

Abstract The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 heralded a host of historical seismicity
catalogues. The XIX century gave rise to two famous French catalogue producers,
A. Perrey and F. de Montessus de Ballore both compiling earthquakes worldwide.
But the systematic investigation of French macroseismicity would not begin be-
fore 1908 and the creation of the seismological service of the Bureau Central
Meteorologique (BCM) in Paris. The seismological service was transferred to Stras-
bourg in 1921, with the creation of the Bureau Central Sismologique Fran¸ais
(BCSF). The BSCF performed macroseismic enquiries for every contemporaneous
felt earthquake. Edmond Rothe and his son Jean Pierre Rothe succeeded one another
as directors of the BCSF until 1975; their seismic catalogue mainly relied on the
works of Perrey and Montessus. In 1975, the Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et
Minieres (BRGM) engaged in a major revision of French historical seismicity with
the Projet Sismotectonique , directed by Jean Vogt until 1984.
We present recent individual initiatives related to historical seismicity, including
those of Jean Vogt, along with some results of our own research on the seismicity
of the French Alps. We discuss these results and the evidence about improving the
knowledge of French seismicity to which they attest. We then outline the new po-
tential offered through digital libraries and archives. Our conclusions will underline
the necessity of developing an academic programme devoted to French historical
seismicity and seismic hazard.

Keywords Historical seismicity · earthquakes catalogues · France · Alps