Sismicite En Algerie De 1790 A 2000 : Mécanismes Aux Foyers Et Vitesse De Rapprochement Inter-plaques

More than 800earthquakes with magnitude greater than or equal to 4, have let us to obtain an epicenter map for the region of northern Algeria and the bordering areas, lying between 31°N- 38°N and 3°W-9°E for the period 1790-2000. This map which emphasizes the high degree of seismicity of the Atlas Mountains is completed by the focal solutions of twenty significant earthquakes of the period 1954-2000.The compressivestress regime suffered in the studied area, induced by the approaching movement of the Africa and Eurasia plates, is characterized by NNW-SSE horizontal direction inferred from the mean P axis direction of the focal mechanisms. A theoretical inter-plate velocity provides a N 330° direction in agreement with the convergence direction of the Africa and Eurasia plates obtained from the mean P axis. The mean calculated velocity is about 6 mm/year.