Archaeoseismology and Palaeoseismology in the Alpine ... - Tierra

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Fig. 1: Series of aligned fallen columns (top: Susita, Golan Heights; bottom: Knidos, Turkey), typical earthquake‐ characteristic damage? PRESENT: AN ARCHAEOSEISMOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE Archaeoseismology is plagued by many of the same ambiguities that geologists encounter when interpreting earthquake indicators in the landscape or in palaeoseismological trenches. All are prone to naturally disruptive processes that can mimic the expression of seismic rupture or shaking. But cultural material data bear the additional vagaries of uncertain human action, from the questionable quality of construction to the potential for manmade destruction. The result is that it is difficult – if not impossible – to irrefutably distinguish between damage caused by man or competing natural agents. Typologies of earthquake‐characteristic damage (Fig. 1) have been proposed but when subjected to critical appraisal – in particular through numerical and analogue modelling (e.g. Hinzen et al., 2009) – most of these typologies do not pass the test. Even if they could, it remains uncertain how the seismic traces in destruction layers and dislocated buildings can be meaningfully translated into earthquake parameters such as intensity, peak ground acceleration, etc. To overcome these uncertainties, conceptual – primarily qualitative – archaeoseismological schemes have been 1 st INQUA‐IGCP‐567 International Workshop on Earthquake Archeology and Paleoseismology 144 proposed, consisting of a list of points of interest (Karcz and Kafri, 1978, Nikonov, 1988, Rapp, 1986, Stiros, 1996), key research questions (Guidoboni, 1996), or flow charts (Galadini et al., 2006) that ought to be considered during the investigation of an archaeological site by collaborative teams of seismologists, geologists, archaeologists, architects and historians. Most of these schemes have been grafted onto archaeological investigations in the eastern Mediterranean and in the Middle East, with strong dependence on identifying structural damage to buildings and other cultural remains at specific sites. A more quantitative scheme has been proposed by Hinzen (2005) in the form of a feasibility matrix for archaeoseismological findings that evaluates a probability of occurrence of a proposed ancient earthquake and that can be directly used as a weighting factor in probabilistic‐ based estimations of the seismic hazard. Sintubin and Stewart (2008) integrated the competing schemes into a standardised, semiquantitative logic‐tree formalism for archaeoseismology, assessing the level of certainty to which an archaeological site has recorded an ancient earthquake. In spite of all these efforts and given the all too obvious limitations and constraints of the archaeological record, perhaps it is timely to reconsider what archaeoseismology is all about. Can we legitimately claim that it is a potential contributor to probabilistic seismic hazard studies? Or does the true value of archaeoseismological research lie elsewhere? Archaeological sites may have a potentially unique value in earthquake science. Rather than simply augmenting earthquake catalogues with – potentially highly conjectural – ancient earthquakes, ancient archaeological sites can be used strategically to examine specific earthquake scenarios. Key targets could be those major events that appear form historical accounts to be atypically destructive, but whose excessive reach and intensity warrant careful appraisal, e.g., events such as the A.D. 21 July 365 Crete earthquake and tsunami. In this context, archaeological sites become “seismoscopes” – the testing ground for predicted site effects of ancient earthquake models. FUTURE: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE? But maybe the scope and goals of archaeoseismological studies should still be broadened, benefiting from more intimate collaborations between earthquake geologists and archaeologists in deciphering the precise role of earthquakes in the cultural history of a site. A better appreciation of the complex dynamics by which ancient cultures dealt with and responded to damaging earthquakes, might shed light on the resilience of past societies and their relative capacity to withstand seismic shocks. By highlighting how their ancestors coped with earthquakes, archaeoseismology could play a key role in fostering better earthquake preparedness in modern local communities that are equally threatened. After all, natural disasters are no physical phenomena, but are social phenomena (Shimoyama 2002). Rather than simply deriving crude parameters for ancient earthquakes,
archaeoseismology could instead become a more holistic and interdisciplinary research field concerned with establishing the essential earthquake culture in a region (Sintubin et al., 2008). The International Geoscience Programme IGCP 567 Earthquake Archaeology: Archaeoseismology along the Alpine‐Himalayan Seismic Zone (ees.kuleuven.be/igcp567/) provides the forum to pursue these goals. Acknowledgements: This paper is a contribution to the UNESCO‐ funded International Geoscience Programme IGCP 567 Earthquake Archaeology: Archaeoseismology along the Alpine‐ Himalayan Seismic Zone. References Ambraseys, N. N. (2006). Earthquakes and archaeology. Journal of Archaeological Science, 33, 1008‐1016. Ambraseys, N. N., Jackson, J. A., Melville, C. P. (2002). Historical Seismicity and Tectonics: The Case of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. In: International Handbook of Earthquake and Engineering Seismology (edited by Lee, W. H. K., Kanamori, H., Jennings, P. C. and Kisslinger, C.). International Geophysics Series 81A. Academic Press, Amsterdam, 747‐763. Caputo, R., Helly, B. (2008). The use of distinct disciplines to investigate past earthquakes. Tectonophysics, 453(1‐4), 7‐19. Evans, A. 1928. The Palace of Minos, part II., London. Galadini, F., Hinzen, K.‐G., Stiros, S. C. 2006. Archaeoseismology: Methodological issues and procedure. Journal of Seismology, 10, 395‐414. Guidoboni, E. (1996). Archaeology and Historical Seismology: the Need for Collaboration in the Mediterranean Area. In: Archaeoseismology (edited by Stiros, S. C. and Jones, R. E.). Fitch Laboratory Occasional Paper 7. Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration and The British Scholl at Athens, Athens, 7‐13. Guidoboni, E. (2002). Historical Seismology: the Long Memory of the Inhabited World. In: International Handbook of Earthquake and Engineering Seismology (edited by Lee, W. H. K., Kanamori, H., Jennings, P. C. and Kisslinger, C.). International Geophysics Series 81A. Academic Press, Amsterdam, 775‐790. 1 st INQUA‐IGCP‐567 International Workshop on Earthquake Archeology and Paleoseismology 145 Hinzen, K.‐G. (2005). The use of engineering seismological models to interpret archaeoseismological findings in Tolbiacum, Germany: A case study. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 95, 521‐539. Hinzen, K.‐G., Fleischer, C., Reamer, S.K., Schreiber, S., Schütte, S. and Yerli, B. (2009). Quantitative Methods in Archaeoseismology. 1 st INQUA‐IGCP567 International Workshop on Earthquake Archaeology and Palaeoseismology, Baelo Claudia, Spain, this volume. Karcz, I. and Kafri, U. (1978). Evaluation of supposed archaeoseismic damage in Israel. Journal of Archaeological Science, 5, 237‐253. Kovach, R. L. and Nur, A. (2006). Earthquakes and Archaeology: Neocatastrophism or Science? In: EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union, 87, 317‐318. Niemi, T. (2008). Historical Earthquake Catalogues and Archaeological Data: Avoiding Circular Reasoning. Seismological Research Letters, 79(2), 289. Nikonov, A. A. (1988). On the methodology of archaeoseismic research into historical monuments. In: Engineering Geology of Ancient Works (edited by Marinos, P. G. and Koukis, G. C.). Balkema, Rotterdam, 1315‐1320. Nur, A. (2008). Apocalypse. Earthquakes, Archaeology, and the Wrath of God. Princeton University Press, Princeton. Rapp, G. J. (1986). Assessing Archaeological Evidence for Seismic Catastrophies. Geoarchaeology: An International Journal, 1(4), 365‐379. Schaeffer, C. F. A. (1948). Stratigraphie Comparée et Chronologie de l'Asie Occidentale. Oxford University Press, London. Shimoyama, S. (2002). Basic characteristics of disasters. In: Natural Disasters and Cultural Change (edited by Torrence, R. and Grattan, J.). One World Archaeology 45. Routledge, London and New York, 19‐27. Sintubin, M. and Stewart, I. S. (2008). A Logical Methodology for Archaeoseismology: A Proof of Concept at the Archaeological Site of Sagalassos, Southwest Turkey. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 98(5), 2209‐2230. Sintubin, M., Stewart, I. S., Niemi, T. and Altunel, E. (2008). Earthquake Archaeology ‐ Just a Good Story? Seismological Research Letters, 79(6), 767‐768. Stiros, S. C. (1996). Identification of Earthquakes from Archaeological Data: Methodology, Criteria and Limitations. In: Archaeoseismology (edited by Stiros, S. C. and Jones, R. E.). Fitch Laboratory Occasional Paper 7. Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration and The British Scholl at Athens, Athens, 129‐152.
Page 1:
Abstracts Volume Archaeoseismology
Page 4 and 5:
Edita e imprime: Sección de Public
Page 7 and 8:
1 st INQUA‐IGCP‐567 Internation
Page 9 and 10:
the importance of performing absolu
Page 11 and 12:
indicative of strike‐slip faultin
Page 13 and 14:
DISCUSSION Based on detailed field
Page 15 and 16:
Table 1: Source parameters used in
Page 17 and 18:
elations. However, the attenuation
Page 19 and 20:
mostly concentrated on the DST in I
Page 21 and 22:
continuous support. N. Shalev, G. G
Page 23 and 24:
The tumulus initial morphology show
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
our understanding and prediction of
Page 29 and 30:
spans, with a threefold increase fr
Page 31 and 32:
Nevertheless the lack of research,
Page 33 and 34:
earthquake. In uncertain cases, as
Page 35 and 36:
The site reconnaissance successfull
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44:
Table 1: Surface faulting extent re
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
The graben has a markedly asymmetri
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54:
are a valuable addition to the rout
Page 55 and 56:
to 400 m) the calculated values for
Page 57 and 58:
RISK ANALYSIS The created hazard ma
Page 59 and 60:
290 m water depth the basin accumul
Page 61 and 62:
CONCLUSIONS From the palaeostress a
Page 63 and 64:
Fig. 2: Geological map of the study
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
however, the massive 1995 earthquak
Page 73 and 74:
mapped on the slopes above Qiryat
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
interpreted as either an expression
Page 79 and 80:
The Shepran Cave is located on the
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83 and 84:
Page 85 and 86:
Page 87 and 88:
properties. The mean value of speci
Page 89 and 90:
Page 91 and 92:
excavated a deep trench, thus provi
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96: 1 st INQUA‐IGCP‐567 Internation
Page 99 and 100: Fig. 8: Seismic ground shaking may
Page 101 and 102: elevant qualitative criteria are po
Page 103 and 104: CONCLUDING REMARKS The exposed exam
Page 105 and 106: produced by significantly different
Page 107 and 108: It is possible that a portion of th
Page 109 and 110: In addition, the Database of histor
Page 111 and 112: were published by IGME (1983) and E
Page 115 and 116: The city collapsed and it was aband
Page 119 and 120: Fig. 4: Slipped lintel in a window
Page 121 and 122: to overcome shear resistance and in
Page 123 and 124: Newmark, N.M. (1965). Effects of ea
Page 125 and 126: associated with various tsunamis (<
Page 129 and 130: this method, the magnitude of the e
Page 133 and 134: etween pieces. Fragments have not f
Page 137 and 138: on the exact date of the earthquake
Page 139 and 140: THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE COLOGNE Aft
Page 143 and 144: affecting the Alcázar was about 50
Page 145: 1 st INQUA‐IGCP‐567 Internation
Page 149 and 150: In the area later occupied by Vilni
Page 155 and 156: Fig. 2: Assemblage of landforms ass
Page 157 and 158: Fig. 8: Data and regression for mag
Page 159 and 160: Fig. 3: Relationships among magnitu
Page 161 and 162: CONCLUSIONS 1. Spatial distribution
Page 163 and 164: The stratigraphic sequence (Fig. 4)
Page 165 and 166: especially in the zones of hanging
Page 169 and 170: interpretations are based on relati
Page 173 and 174: Fig. 5: Gray‐scale value laser im
Page 177 and 178: (~40 cm), F‐ rotated building str
Page 179 and 180: Index 1 st INQUA‐IGCP‐567 Inter
Page 181: 1 st INQUA‐IGCP‐567 Internation
show all

Archaeoseismology and Palaeoseismology in the Alpine ... - Tierra

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?