Azores seismogenic zones

Abstract

One condition to perform seismic hazard analysis is knowledge about seismogenic zones that is an invaluable source of information and play an important role because it is fundamental know the processes and properties that control the seismogenic zone. The aim of this work is distinguishing seismogenic zones in the Azores region applying different parameters such as the earthquake density, b-values, focal mechanism, historical seismicity and all of these conjugated within the geodynamic framework of the Azores. We identified 10 seismogenic zones plus the well known Mid Atlantic Ridge. The 10 zones we identified are over the major tectonic structures of the Archipelago, namely Terceira Rift and Linear Volcanic Ridges.