Revista Brasileira de Geofísica - Seismicity patterns and focal mechanisms in southeastern Brazil

A review of seismicity studies in southeastern Brazil was given by Berrocal et al.(1996), who also presented a preliminary seismic hazard estimate (return periods for different magnitudes) for the region east of the Paraná basin, from the São Francisco craton to the continental shelf, assuming a uniform seismicity rate in the whole region. Seismic hazard estimates can be further improved if different seismogenic areas within the study region are recognized and taken into account. As a contribution to future studies of seismic hazard, we will first show that the seismicity in southeastern Brazil seems to be concentrated mainly in two different zones: the offshore continental shelf, and the southern part of Minas Gerais state, with the intracontinental Paraná basin and the Serra do Mar coastal ranges being relatively aseismic (Assumpção, 1992; 1993; Berrocal et al., 1996).

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