Que nous apprennent les bases de données sur les désastres associés aux séismes ? Réflexions géographique et géohistorique sur la ville d'Esmeraldas (Équateur)

As for the city of Esmeraldas, earthquake-related disasters databases are found limited and poorly consistent. This is all the more surprising that exposure is very high on the active Ecuador-Colombia margin, and strategic oil-related assets stand in or close to the city. A critical reading of those databases in the light of historical archives on the city and the province of Esmeraldas confirms how limited the information available is, even regarding major events (like in 1906 or 1979). Yet it also draws attention on the limitations the current understanding of this disturbing situation meets. Low density and limited critical assets exposed cannot fully explain it. Root causes do apply in producing, sharing and using information on Esmeraldas. They also frame part of geophysical interpretations related to the atypical Esmeraldas segment of the active Pacific margin. By shading light on such root causes, databases on disasters give more information on the specificities of the studied area, than they inform us on earthquakes by themselves. The paper shows the contribution of geography and geohistory to the broader understanding and management of seismic risks, as well as the many challenges any interdisciplinary approach meets.