Description and Analysis of the Earthquake Damage in the Quebec City Region between 1608 and 2008

Other| May 01, 2009 Description and Analysis of the Earthquake Damage in the Quebec City Region between 1608 and 2008 Maurice Lamontagne Maurice Lamontagne Earth Sciences Sector Natural Resources Canada 615 Booth Street, Room 216 Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E9 Canada maurice.lamontagne@nrcan.gc.ca Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Maurice Lamontagne Earth Sciences Sector Natural Resources Canada 615 Booth Street, Room 216 Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E9 Canada maurice.lamontagne@nrcan.gc.ca Publisher: Seismological Society of America First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1938-2057 Print ISSN: 0895-0695 © 2009 by the Seismological Society of America Seismological Research Letters (2009) 80 (3): 514–524. https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.80.3.514 Article history First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Maurice Lamontagne; Description and Analysis of the Earthquake Damage in the Quebec City Region between 1608 and 2008. Seismological Research Letters 2009;; 80 (3): 514–524. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.80.3.514 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietySeismological Research Letters Search Advanced Search Abstract Quebec City is rated sixth for earthquake risk among Canadian cities but ranks first or second in terms of earthquake damage over the course of its 400-year history. The examples of earthquake damage in the Quebec City region between 1608 and 2008 were collected in a single database. For each significant earthquake, the database provides the description of damage together with the geographic position, the corresponding intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale, and the supporting document. Historically, Quebec City was subject to several moderate to strong earthquakes with epicenters in the Charlevoix seismic zone (80–180 km epicentral distance) in 1663, 1791, 1860, 1870, and 1925; and in the Saguenay region (150 km epicentral distance) in 1988. M ∼ 5 earthquakes at shorter epicentral distances were also felt but caused only minor damage. These facts bring to light that certain wards, mostly located in the lower part of the city, are more likely to sustain higher levels of ground motion in future moderate to strong earthquakes. This information correlates fairly well with known near-surface shear-wave velocities, natural periods, and geotechnical properties. Knowledge of these more-hazardous areas is important for land-use planning and emergency preparedness. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.