Geophysics and astronomy

This area comprises primarily the following three activities: seismology, astronomy and solar radiation measurements:

Seismology consists of measuring and monitoring the seismic activity in Tunisia in order to:

• Prevent seismic risks and alert authorities if necessary.
• Develop maps which trace seismic fault lines and their importance.
• Develop and update the earthquake catalogue in Tunisia.
• Elaborate geophysical studies.
• Contribute to the development of earthquake engineering.
• Prepare the seismotectonic map.
• Study the microzonation of Greater Tunis and other regions of the country.

Astronomy allows for the execution of the following tasks:

• Developing computation data for the observation of the lunar crescent.
• Observing the lunar crescent nationwide.
• Establishing lunar and solar eclipse dates.
• Developing ephemerides.

The measurement of solar radiation consists in quantifying the different types of solar radiation in Tunisia.

Core resources of this sector:

• A national seismology centre.
• A regional centre of solar radiation.
• A national seismological network.
• A national network of accelerographs.
• A national network of stations of solar radiation measurement.
• A seismological data bank.
• A radiation data bank.