Testing the Environmental Seismic Intensity Scale on Data Derived from the Earthquakes of 1626, 1759, 1819, and 1904 in Fennoscandia, Northern Europe

Päivi Mäntyniemi,Mathilde B Sørensen,Ruben E Tatevossian

doi:10.3390/geosciences11010014

Päivi Mäntyniemi, Mathilde B Sørensen + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11010014

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Abstract

Earthquake environmental effects (EEEs) were compiled for the earthquakes of 1626, 1759, 1819, and 1904 in the Fennoscandian Peninsula, northern Europe. The principal source of information was the contemporary newspaper press. Macroseismic questionnaires collected in 1759 and 1904 were also consulted. We prepared maps showing newly discovered EEEs together with previously known EEEs and analyzed their spatial distribution. We assigned intensities based on the 2007 Environmental Seismic Intensity (ESI) scale to 27 selected localities and compared them to intensities assigned based on the 1998 European Macroseismic Scale. While the overall agreement between the scales is good, intensities may remain uncertain due to the sparsity of written documentation. The collected data sets are most probably incomplete but still show that EEEs are not unprecedented cases in the target region. The findings include landslides and rockfalls as well as cascade effects with a risk potential and widespread water movements up to long distances. The winter earthquake of 1759 cracked ice over a large area. This investigation demonstrates that the ESI scale also has practical importance for regions with infrequent EEEs.

Highlights

Macroseismology is defined as the study of any effects of earthquakes that are observable without instruments, such as ground shaking felt by people, landslides, fissures, and knocked-down chimneys [1]
The 1819 Lurøy earthquake occurred after 3 weeks of rainfall [29], which likely affected slope stability during the earthquake. This precipitation effect poses an extra uncertainty in the assignment of Environmental Seismic Intensity (ESI), which is especially pronounced in areas of high precipitation, such as western Norway
The data sets compiled for the earthquakes of 1626, 1759, 1819, and 1904 in Fennoscandia, northern Europe, testify to such environmental effects (EEEs) as rockfalls and turbulent waters

Summary

Introduction

Macroseismology is defined as the study of any effects of earthquakes that are observable without instruments, such as ground shaking felt by people, landslides, fissures, and knocked-down chimneys [1]. Retrieval of existent documentation and seismologists’ ability to interpret old texts comprise the reception filters In this investigation, the Environmental Seismic Intensity Scale ESI-07 (e.g., [4,5,6]) is tested on historical earthquake data from the Fennoscandian Peninsula, in northern Europe (Figure 1). The Environmental Seismic Intensity Scale ESI-07 (e.g., [4,5,6]) is tested on historical earthquake data from the Fennoscandian Peninsula, in northern Europe (Figure 1) It is an intraplate domain where moderate-to-large earthquakes seldom occur. Most and data Modif collected using questionnaires record transient earthquake effect on people and objects, calli Intensity; presently, the European Macroseismic Scale EMS-98 [11] is used. The findings are Geosciences 2020, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW

Earthquake

The Kattegat Earthquake of 1759

The Oslofjord Earthquake of 1904

Discussion

Conclusions