2 nd INQUA-IGCP-567 International Workshop on Active Tectonics, Earthquake Geology, Archaeology and Engineering, Corinth, Greece (2011) INQUA PALEOSEISMOLOGY AND ACTIVE TECTONICS EARTHQUAKE ARCHAEOLOGY 204 EARTHQUAKE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EFFECTS GENERATED BY THE LISBON EARTHQUAKE (FIRST OF NOVEMBER 1755) IN THE CORIA´S CATHEDRAL (CÁCERES, WESTERN SPAIN) Rodríguez-Pascua M.A. (1), P.G. Silva (2), Perucha Atienza, M.A. (1), J.L. Giner-Robles (3), R. Pérez-López (1) (1) Instituto Geológico y Minero de España. Street Ríos Rosas, 23. 28003-Madrid. SPAIN. E-mail: ma.rodriguez@igme.es, ma.perucha@igme.es ; r.perez@igme.es (2) Dpto. Geología, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Ávila, Universidad de Salamanca. Avda. Hornos Caleros, 50. 05003-Ávila. pgsilva@usal.es (3) Dpto. Geología. Facultad de Ciencias. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Cantoblanco. Tres Cantos. Madrid. SPAIN. E-mail: jlginer@gmail.es Abstract (Earthquake Archaeological Effects generated by the Lisbon Earthquake (first of November 1755) in the Coria´s Cathedral (Cáceres, western Spain): The Lisbon Earthquake was the most destructive earthquake in the Western European history. This earthquake affected the entire Iberian Peninsula and the city of Lisbon completely collapsed. The intensity of this earthquake was X (EMS-1998) and damaged the historical buildings of Spain. These effects are preserved in historical buildings, like the Coria’s Cathedral. The damage observed in this cathedral is described by using the new classification of Earthquake Archaeological Effects (EAE), with the aim to study both strain structures and the seismic wave pattern. Key words: Lisbon Earthquake (1755), Coria´s Cathedral, Earthquake Archaeological Effects (EAE). INTRODUCTION The Lisbon earthquake (November 1 st , 1755) is the largest earthquake that struck Western Europe in historic times. This earthquake affected the population in a physical sense and also changed the knowledge of the scientific origin of earthquakes. This date was the starting point of foundation of modern seismology. The Lisbon earthquake affected the entire Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. Its shaking was felt in Central European countries like Germany (Martínez Solares, 2001). Nowadays the epicentre of the earthquake is still the subject of scientific debate (Gutscher, 2005), although the approximate location is widely assumed at the southwest of San Vicente Cape, regardless of the exact fault that produced it. The maximum intensity of this earthquake was X (EMS-1998) (Martínez Solares and Mezcua, 2002), being located in southern Portugal (Algarve Coast). Some of those seismic intensity effects from the earthquake are still visible in the historic heritage all around the Iberian Peninsula, such as churches and cathedrals. This is the case study of the Coria´s Cathedral (Cáceres, central part of Spain). The building suffered structural damage, even collapse the cupola of the tower. GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING The town of Coria is located to the NW of the city of Caceres in the central Western part of Spain and near of the border with Portugal. The isoseismal map of the Lisbon Earthquake (Martínez-Solares, 2001) suggests that Coria and surroundings were affected by a seism intensity VI (Fig. 1). The main damage in the city was produced in the cathedral, in which the collapse of the cupola of the tower killed thirteen people. METHODOLOGY Some of the effects of the earthquake in the cathedral of Coria were documented by the Dean of the Cathedral (Martínez-Vázquez, 1999) and are available for public consult in the archive of the Cathedral. Hence, we have elaborated a list of structural damage using the classification of Earthquake Archaeological Effects (EAE) (Rodríguez-Pascua et al., 2011). However, we have to bear in mind that the Cathedral is also affected by geotechnical problems that could mask the effects of the earthquake of Lisbon. Those have to be discriminated by using existing documentation, both the earthquake and previous geotechnical studies (Martínez-Vázquez, 1999). Fig. 1: Location of the town of Coria on the isoseismal map of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake (Intensity scale EMS-1998) (after Martínez Solares, 2001).