Monumental Inca remains and past seismic disasters: A relational database to support archaeoseismological investigations and cultural heritage preservation in the Andes
Introduction
As a social, cultural and symbolic act, architecture and, more specifically, the built heritage is an integral part of the collective memories and traditions (Caimi, 2014; Garnier et al., 2013; Ortega et al., 2017). In 1972, during the General Conference of the UNESCO, State parties agreed on the necessity of “ensuring the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future generations of the cultural and natural heritage” (UNESCO, 1972, Art.4). To do so, the international organization proposed several guidelines related to seismic hazard mitigation (UNESCO, 2007, p. 173): “reducing risk through ensuring maintenance,” “strengthening buildings,” “improving earthquake warning systems” as well as “developing comprehensive earthquake plans.” The creation and development of monitoring systems thus represent a prerequisite to follow those preparedness guidelines correctly.
Identifying earthquake evidence and damage in archaeological remains has long been seen as a re-active investigation. Archaeoseismologists intervened “after” a seismic event with the objective to improve the seismic catalog and thus better assess the regional seismic hazard. Hence, ancient human settlements and monuments have turned out to be valuable markers of past seismic activity, providing complementary information to the traditional geomorphological and paleoseismological studies and filling the gap between prehistorical and instrumental seismology (Karakhanyan et al., 2010; Noller, 2001; Silva et al., 2005; Similox-Tohon et al., 2006). The recent shift from qualitative to (semi)quantitative methods not only strengthens the archaeoseismological methodology and its scientific basis (Ambraseys, 2006; Galadini et al., 2006; Sintubin, 2013) but also provides a great opportunity to connect the research field to pro-active strategies such as risk management and disaster risk reduction (DRR) programs in the context of cultural heritage protection (Jusseret, 2014; Sintubin, 2011). Indeed, the large-scale registration of Earthquake Archaeological Effects (EAE – Rodríguez-Pascua et al., 2011), the use of remote sensing tools (Lidar, photogrammetry – Forlin et al., 2018; Yerli et al., 2010) as well as the construction of seismic deformation simulation thanks to 3D models (Hinzen et al., 2013; Hinzen and Montabert, 2017; Pecchioli et al., 2018) constitute important steps towards monitoring strategies of archaeological remains. Addressing the impact of past earthquakes on cultural heritage has turned into an emerging priority, particularly in the Mediterranean area (e.g., Marchetti et al., 2017; Montabert et al., 2020; Remondino and Rizzi, 2010). However, in South America and across the High Andes, research is still at its early stage (Aguilar et al., 2015; Briceño et al., 2018; Noel et al., 2019). In Peru, considered as the most vulnerable country of the continent in terms of seismic hazard (Stillwell, 1992; World Bank, 2012), increasing the risk preparedness and resilience of built heritage requires innovative and multipurpose approaches. To fill this gap in the Cusco region, we propose the implementation of a new database designed to characterize the level of damage of the cultural heritage facing earthquake threats (or even broader natural disastrous events).
Section snippets
Research aim
The Cusco area stands out for its rich pre-Columbian and colonial heritage. While the area and its monuments were severely affected by past ground shaking episodes, the current seismic hazard remains poorly assessed and its implications in terms of heritage vulnerability sometimes even overlooked (Carlotto et al., 2007; Noel et al., 2019). In the framework of the archaeoseismological project RISC (“Risque sismique, Incas et Société à Cusco”), we developed a user-friendly database, whose aim was
Seismic risk in the Andes
Social vulnerability to earthquakes is a crucial challenge in the coming years, exacerbated by the constant and rapid urbanization processes (Jackson, 2006). The increasing exposure is probably even more acute in South America and especially all along the Andes. Actually, the mountain range that borders the western part of the continent concentrates an overwhelming majority of the current seismic strain and deformation rate (Costa et al., 2006; Dewey and Lamb, 1992). The Andean region is also
Overview of the RISC project
Famous worldwide for its cultural heritage, including notably the Cusco city and the Machu Picchu archaeological site inscribed both on the World Heritage List (last accessed July 06, 2021), the Cusco region (Peru) is less known for its recurrent and potentially destructive seismicity. As various Andean regions distant from the subduction trench and as explained in 3.1, the Cusco area suffers from a poor understanding of its crustal seismicity. The concise historical catalog (Silgado Ferro, 1978
Facilitating archaeoseismological survey
The archaeoseismological survey carried out within the Cusco area involved nine persons during two field campaigns. Those two campaigns of three months in total led to the inventory of more than 5000 architectural features in 17 archaeological sites (Fig. 1a). The implementation of a tailor-made database contributed to improving significantly the speed and efficiency of the fieldwork. Three semi-automatized and multifunctional entry processes were particularly useful: the creation of several
Conclusions
Despite the challenges and difficulties, there is an absolute necessity to involve more deeply science in risk assessment topics and better communicate results to the public and decision-makers (Stewart et al., 2018). Research methodologies and approaches may contribute notably to raise awareness about the seismic threat on cultural heritage and support adapted DRR programs. Monitoring archaeological site has turned to be a key stage in implementing pro-active measures to face the seismic
Author Statement
Andy Combey: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Formal analysis and Writing. Agnès Tricoche: Methodology, Supervision. Laurence Audin: Supervision, Funding acquisition. David Gandreau: Supervision. Carlos Benavente Escobár: Resources. José Bastante Abuhadba: Validation, Resources. Hernando Tavera: Resources. Miguel Ángel Rodríguez-Pascua: Validation, Supervision.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgements
This work would not have been possible without the cooperation of the Decentralized Department of the Ministry of Culture from Cusco and the Geopark of Machu Picchu. We also thank Léo Marconato, Lorena Rosell, Peter Molnar, Sara Neustadt, Fabrizio Delgado and Xavier Robert for their precious assistance during the field campaigns. The authors would like to express their gratitude to Hélène Dessales for her enthusiasm in sharing her feedbacks on the ACoR database as well as to Philippe Garnier
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