Seismicity in the county of Nice
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La
plaque africaine pousse la plaque italienne qui s'enfonce dans
le continent européen en formant l'arc Alpin.
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Le seisme du 23 février
1887
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En 1994, les autorités ont institué un "plan
d'urgence départemental séïsme". Mangiapan.net
vous invite à en prendre connaissance.
lire
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The county of Nice is marked
by its particularly broken relief. It is in this region that the
Alps plunge into the Mediterranean.
The coast located between the Var and the Roya offers a series of
impressive cliffs whose footholds can sometimes be found upon the
seabed.
In the past it was difficult to circulate along the coast, lack
of space along the shore meant detouring deep inland and crossing
an assortment of crests. It was not until the low Corniche was pierced
that getting from Nice to Monaco was possible without passing through
the hilltop villages of Eze or La Turbie.
This broken relief is caused by movement of the tectonic plates.
The African plate, whose "border" is located on the northern
coasts of the Maghreb actually pushes the Italian plate which goes
deep into the European continent forming the Alpine Arc. This phenomenon
is what makes our county a relatively active seismic zone.
Historians have noted a certain amount of earthquakes, among which
some were strong enough in intensity to cause blocks of rock to
fall from mountains and cliffs. In the year 625, the area of Roquebrune
seemed to have been strongly shaken; a number of large rocks which
we can find today on our beaches, landed there at the time of this
seism.
The valley of the Vésubie has experienced some severe earthquakes,
notably a remarkable series during the last millennium:
On the 20th of July 1564 many houses and some churches were destroyed
at Roquebilière, la Bollène, Belvédère,
Lantosque, Saorge and la Brigue, causing the death of around 700
persons. We also note ground movements at La Vésubie and
Le Paillon as well as a tidal wave between Monaco and Antibes.
In June 1618, strong tremors shook the Mount Férion, damaging
the region of la Vésubie and reducing levels of water at
the Rocasparvièra source.
The lack of water within the village forces the exodus of numerous
inhabitants to other neighbouring villages.
The 16th of February 1644, another severe seism shakes the same
sector, it’s tremors being felt as far away as Marseille and
Genova.
Lastly on the 29th of December 1854 the whole county is shaken by
another seism particularly strong in Lantosque and Roquebilière.
Cracks appear on the walls of buildings and the consequences due
to lack of adequate building reparations would be paid 30 years
later.
On the 23rd of February 1887 a strong seism whose epicentre was
located between San Remo and Savone shakes the whole area.
In Nice, Carnival celebrations were coming to an end; the city in
jubilation was not expecting this catastrophy. Early morning, while
the city was still asleep, a strong jolt shook the city.
Bells rang, public clocks stopped, doors slam, houses were damaged
and certain demolished. Paradoxically "old Nice" stays
relatively intact while some of the new districts undergo serious
damage.
Panic breaks out, retorts are feared.
At the railway station people storm onto trains looking for escape,
but services are suspended. In the countryside, villages experience
the same scenario, the most recent buildings are the most damaged,
even destroyed. In Baous Roux there are large rock falls, the same
in Menton, where large rockfalls destroy fruit tree plantations
and many dry stone walls.
In Villefranche a crack forms in the Malrive railway train tunnel.
From Antibes to menton a small tidal wave of approximately 1 metre
breaks along the coast.
In the XXth Century numerous seisms have been registered, the majority
of them imperceptible although certain have caused building facades
to crack.
For some years now constructions have been subject to certain parasismic
standards and although scientists do not seem to fear any serious
damage in the area, the authorities have put into place a "Departmental
Earthquake Emergency Plan " as a precautionary measure.
Translated by Alexandra Bihr and Helen Davison
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version francophone
Entre Nice et Menton, les Alpes
forment une série de falaises qui trouvent leur emprise directement
au fond de la Méditerranée
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