Geophysical Investigation of Slow Active Faults in the Provence Area (France)

A020 GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATION OF SLOW ACTIVE FAULTS IN THE PROVENCE AREA (FRANCE) Introduction 1 In regions of low to moderate seismic activity such as Western Europe seismic hazard assessment often requires careful studies of active faults that have very long recurrence intervals and tenuous morphological expressions due to substantial erosion rates vegetation coverage and human activity (Peulvast et al. 1999). Moreover most of Western Europe is characterized by a relatively high seismic risk due to the concentration of human and material properties presenting high-vulnerability. Consequently detecting tectonic structures that may lead to destructive earthquakes (i.e. Basel 1356; Verviers 1692; Lambesc