Neefs, Ben ; Van Noten, Koen ; Camelbeeck, Thierry

Talk presented at 3rd European conference on earthquake engineering and seismology, Bucharest, Romania on 2022-09-07

Abstract: The resurgence of macroseismic data investigations over the last decades has highlighted its importance and versatility in the broader field of seismology. Macroseismic data in Belgium are plenty thanks to systematic and thorough macroseismic surveys, starting from the beginning of the 20th century. Collection and processing procedures, however, have changed significantly throughout the years. From addressing authoritative residents directly to request earthquake impact information through postal services and their classification in custom intensity scales in the early 20th century, to the online collection of testimonies and automatic intensity value calculations of today. Procedural developments occurred continuously and slowly and are not well documented. To encourage and facilitate macroseismic investigations, the Royal Observatory of Belgium strives towards a harmonized macroseismic database for Belgium.

Funding: PhD ROB funding/PhD ROB funding/PhD ROB funding