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The Belgian Macroseismic Database: Creation, Validation, and its Implications for Engineering Seismology by Ben NEEFS -
Vendredi 27 juin 2025 à 10h00 - Meridian Room - Royal Observatory of Belgium - Avenue Circulaire, 3 - 1180 Bruxelles
For Belgian citizens, earthquakes are perceived as distant events, unlikely to ever affect their daily lives. Occasionally, however, large earthquakes have occurred and are likely to occur again, causing damage throughout vast regions in Belgium. Due to the low seismicity, the number of instrumentally recorded earthquakes remains limited and unrepresentative of the long-term seismic activity. This gap can be addressed using macroseismic intensity data, which provides a classification of the severity of ground shaking through observations of the effects of earthquakes on people on their surroundings.
In this PhD, damage and eyewitness reports from over a century have been compiled and analyzed. The result is the publication of the most comprehensive summary available of macroseismology in Belgium: from a summary of the conducted macroseismic surveys since the early 20th century, to a detailed overview of the spatial distribution and the impact of seismic activity on Belgium, as well as a critical review on the quality of this data. The publication of the Belgian macroseismic database represents a significant advancement for engineering seismology in Belgium, improving its earthquake preparedness. It enables a range of applications, some of which are demonstrated in this work: from the validation of the most recent Belgian seismic hazard model against observations, to the identification of the best performing intensity Prediction Equations that best represent ground shaking attenuation in Belgium.
Jury members :
Prof. Dr. João Saraiva Esteves Pacheco de Almeida (UCLouvain) (Supervisor)
Dr. Koen Van Noten (Royal Observatory of Belgium) (Supervisor)
Prof. Dr. Nicolas Moës (UCLouvain) (Chairperson)
Dr. Ryan Hoult (UCLouvain) (Secretary)
Prof. Dr. Hervé Degée (Universiteit Hasselt)
Dr. Thierry Camelbeeck (Royal Observatory of Belgium)
Pay attention : the public defense of Ben NEEFS will also take place in the form of a videoconference
