catalogo de terremotos para america del sur catalog of earthquakes ...

INTRODUCTION
126
CATALOG OF EARTHQUAKES FOR BRASIL
HYPOCENTER AND INTENSITY DATA
NATIONAL REPORT
Jess Berrocal
The brazilian territory occupies tle greater part of the Precambric
shields of the Southamerican continent, and it is located in the internal
continental. region of the Southamerican Plate. For this reason, the level
of the seismic activity in the Brazilian territory is very low, with characteristics
which are similar to other interplate regions of our planet.
Notwithstanding this situation, the study of the seismicity of the brazilian
territory has been intensified in recent years, thanks to the interest
of the seismologists in Brazil in the installation, between 1966 rnd 1972, of
the South American Array SystLem (SAAS), within the context of a project organized
by CERESIS and the Universitiy of Edinburgh-Scotland/UK (later the Instituto
of Geological Sciences of Great Britain), and thanks also to the necessity
of carrying out studies of seismicity and seismic risk, associated
with the planning and const ruction of large hidroelectric dams and cf nuclear
electrical energy reactors.
For this reason, the Institute Astron6mico e Geofisico of the Universidad
de Sao Paulo, signed an agreement in 1977, with the Comissao Nacional de
Energia Nuclear of Brasil to study the seismicity, to compile and analyze all
of the existing informat ion concerning natural seismic events which have occurred
in the Brazilian tCrritory for the principal purpose of preparing a
uniform and up to date seismic catalog.
This work was carried out by a group which included the author of this
report, Dr. Narcelo Assumpcao, I)r. Remy Antezana and Messrs. Coriolano M.
Dias Neto (of Instituto do Geociencianl; de la Universidad de Sao Paulol Renato
Ortega, ileiter Franca and J.A.V. Veloso (of the Estacao Sismol6gica de Brasilia).
The catalogue published by Berrocal et. al. (1984), includes historical
events which have occurred since 1560, largely described by macroseismic data,
and instrumental information, only after the installation of NAT and SAAS, in
the decade of the 60's.
The first attempt to CompIile so'eisi.city data for the brazilian territory
was made by Capanoma (1859). The first catalog, including macroseismic descriptions,
was published by Gama (1910). Branner (1912 and 1920) also published
seismic catalog including macroseismic data ar,(d seismotectonic interpretations.
More recent catalogs, which are only a linsting of the events, were
published by Sadows i et al (1978) and by llaherlehner (1978). Some of the
seismic zones were studiud in dt Lail by anthors such as Silveira (1906 and
1920), who analyzed the earthqulakes of Bor Sucesso (Minas Gerais), Sampaio
(1916, 1919 and 1920) who studied the earthquakes of Reconcavo Baiano (Bahia)