Historical seismicity and present-day microearthquake activity of the Rhenish Massif, central Europe.

Abstract

The study is based on a detailed investigation of the historical seismicity pattern since 1500 A.D., and on a special micro-earthquake survey carried out during the period 1976-1982. The overall pattern of seismicity within the Rhenish massif and its vicinity is clearly related to stress-field controlled block movements along major crustal fracture zones, like the Rhine graben system, and shows no direct relationship to the massif uplift. Only in some special regions, e.g., the Hohes Venn in the NW, where an exceptionally large present-day uplift rate of 1.6 mm/yr has been found by geodetic means, is some evidence found for a causal correlation between seismicity and plateau uplift.-J.M.H.