Publication of the book “Les séismes des Antilles” (Earthquakes in the French West Indies)
The French West Indies are classified as France's maximum seismic risk zone. Although moderate in scale, the earthquakes in Les Saintes (2004) and Martinique (2007) left their mark. But today, what scientists fear is a major deep-sea event, which would have effects on the entire arc and could trigger a tsunami.
The recent mega-earthquakes in Indonesia and Japan suggest that the risk in subduction zones may have been underestimated.
This book sheds new light on the seismic risk in the French West Indies. It brings scientific questions and the limits of our knowledge back to the heart of a little-known issue, and also highlights the need for individual awareness and for each and every one of us to behave responsibly.
Les séismes des Antilles, by François Beauducel (IPGP, seismology team), Scitep éditions. Foreword by Nathalie Feuillet (IPGP, lithosphere tectonics and mechanics team)
