Abstract
This work reviews the 1863 Huércal-Overa earthquake (VI-VII EMS) based on the environmental seismic intensity scale (ESI-07) and oriented archaeoseismological building damage. The performed analysis identifies 23 environmental effects (EEEs) and 11 archaeoseismological effects (EAEs), completing a total of 34 intensity data-points within the intensity zone ≥ VI EMS. The new ESI intensity data quintuplicate the previous intensity data-points ≥ VI EMS (five localities) for this event. Sixteen of the identified EEEs indicate the occurrence of intensity VII-VIII within the Almanzora valley, south of Huércal-Overa, over an area of ca. 12–15 km2. Anomalies in water bodies, slope movements, hydrogeological anomalies, ground cracking, and other effects (gas emissions, tree shaking) are the more diagnostic EEEs—with one of them indicating a local maximum intensity of VIII-IX ESI-07 (Alboraija lake). Environmental earthquake damage of intensity ≥ VI covers an area of c. 100 km2, compatible with a VIII ESI intensity event. The spatial distribution of EEEs and EAEs indicates that the zone of Almanzora River Gorge, which was depopulated during the earthquake epoch, was the epicentral area, and compatible with seismotectonic data from active shallow blind thrusting beneath the Almagro Range. The use of ESI data in nearly unpopulated areas help to fill gaps between damaged localities (EMS data) multiplying intensity data-points, providing a better definition of the intensity zones and offering a geological basis to look for suspect seismic sources.
Highlights
This paper deals with the study of a historical seismic event in SE Spain by means of the analysis of Earthquake Environmental Effects (EEEs), Earthquake Archaeological Effects (EAEs) and the combined application of the macroseismic scales ESI-07 [1] and Environmental (EEEs) and Building (EMS)-98 [2]
Significant hydrogeological anomalies (HD), ground cracks (GK), slope movements (SM), anomalies in water bodies (AW: rivers and small lakes) and other secondary effects, such as vigorous tree shaking, gas emissions and spontaneous ventilation of ore-mines [4], which are common for stronger events (Intensity ≥ VIII ESI-07)
A total of 23 EEEs and 11 EAEs records are available for this earthquake (Figure 2; Tables 1 and 2), which largely complement the six EMS intensity assessments around the epicentral area listed in the IGN catalogue [7] (Table 3)
Summary
This paper deals with the study of a historical seismic event in SE Spain by means of the analysis of Earthquake Environmental Effects (EEEs), Earthquake Archaeological Effects (EAEs) and the combined application of the macroseismic scales ESI-07 [1] and EMS-98 [2]. The research is based on coeval field reports [4], journal news [5], and other historical documents [6] describing the building and natural damage produced by the low-magnitude Huércal-Overa Earthquake (10 June 1863). This seismic event had an intensity VI-VII EMS and a magnitude Mw between 4.2 to 4.9 following different approaches [7,8,9].
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