STUDY OF RECENT SISMICITY IN SÃO CAETANO/PE
Intraplate seismicity. Epicentral location. Genesis of earthquakes
seismicity, such as that occurring in the NE of Brazil, presents a lower magnitude and occurs less frequently when compared to the activity in the plate boundaries. Nevertheless, this type of seismic activity can not be
disregarded, as these events are generally shallow and may occur near urban areas, which can cause significant damage to civil constructions. Therefore, the understanding of the mechanisms generating such earthquakes and develop models to explain their occurrence is fundamental for an assessment of seismic hazard and
risk around the world. The NE of Brazil is the most seismically active region of the country and is characterized by earthquakes swarms that can last a few months or even several years. These earthquakes occur at shallow depths of up to 12 km and can reach magnitudes greater than 5,0 mb. In NE Brazil, a region that presents recurrent seismicity is the town of São Caetano - PE. The activity recorded in the area is expressive and has been monitored in the last decade by UFRN’s Seismological Laboratory. In 2016 a new seismic sequence was recorded in the locality. Therefore,
the objective of this work is to analyze and characterize this recent activity, obtaining hypocentric parameters and focal mechanisms. The preliminary results obtained confirm that recent seismicity occurred in an different area from the previously reported hypocentral zones.