European Cenozoic Rift System

The European Cenozoic Rift System (ECRIS) is a 1,100 km (680 mi) long system of rifts formed in the foreland of the Alps as the lithosphere responded to the effects of the Alpine and Pyrenean orogenies. The system began to form during the Late Eocene and parts (particularly the Upper and Lower Rhine Grabens) remain seismically active today and are responsible for most of the larger earthquakes in Europe, north of the Alps.