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Pacific Northwest Earthquakes
SELECTED CATALOGS
containing information about earthquakes in Washington and adjacent areas
taken from "Washington State Earthquake Hazards", by Linda Noson, Anth
ony Q
amar, and Gerald Thorsen
Report Series for the United States or Western States
The report series listed below will guide readers to technical data for earthquakes that have occurred in this century.
The publishers of these series have changed periodically, as have the titles; this list highlights those changes.
(For a history of earthquakes in the United States prior to 1925, see Woollard, 1968, listed in "References cited")
Abstracts of Earthquake Reports for the Pacific
Coast and Western Mountain Region (Title changed in
1967 to "Abstracts of Earthquake Reports for the United
States "; superseded in 1974 by the quarterly
"Earthquakes in the United States". See below.)
Published quarterly; detailed accounts of ob
served earthquake effects. A condensed sum
mary of this is published annually in "United
States Earthquakes"; see below.
- 1937? - 1964: MSA 1-124
- Department of Commerce
- Coast and Geodetic Survey
- 1965 - 1966: MSA 125-132
- Department of Commerce
- Environmental Science Services Admin
istration (ESSA, a consolidation of the
Weather Service and the Coast and
Geodetic Survey)
- 1967 - 1970 (title changed in 1967): MSA 133-148
- Department of Commerce
- ESSA/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) (In October
1970, functions of ESSA transferred to
NOAA, still as part of the Department of
Commerce)
- 1967 - 1969: MSA 133-142
- Issued by Coast and Geodetic Survey Seis
mological Survey in San Francisco, part
of ESSA
- 1969 (3d quarter only): MSA 143-144
- Issued by National Ocean Survey (part of
ESSA)
- 1970: MSA 145-148
- Issued by the Environmental Data Service,
a new section of ESSA; in October 1970,
functions of ESSA were transferred to
NOAA, still Department of Commerce.
- 1971 - 1973: MSA 149-160
- Issued by NOAA, Department of Com
merce, and U.S. Geologial Survey
(USGS), Department of the Interior; in
1973, operations of the National Earth
quake Information Center (NEIC) and
Seismological Field Survey (SFS) of
NOAA's Environmental Research Labor
atories were absorbed by the USGS. MSA
149-160 were produced cooperatively by
NOAA and USGS groups as USGS Open-
File Report 75-5.
- 1974: Series superseded by "Earthquakes in the
United States"
- Department of the Interior
- USGS
- (Other NOAA units continued to collect and
publish earthquake data with the USGS in
"United States Earthquakes" and "Earth
quake History of the United States"; see
below.)
Earthquake Data Reports
Contains raw phase data used in the computation
of information published in "Preliminary
Determinations of Epicenters" (listed below);
useful to some seismologists; since 1985
published as USGS Open-File Report 86-551A-L.
Earthquake History of the United States
Contains a history of prominent earthquakes in
the United States for historical time; maps,
bibliography; periodically revised; the current
edition is the most comprehensive.
- 1928 (Original edition)
- Department of Commerce
- U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (as a
special publication)
- Revised editions:
- 1934: Special Pub. 191
- 1938-1947: Serial No. 609, Pt. I
- 1929, 1941, 1951: Serial No. 609, Pt. II
- 1958, 1965: Publication No. 41-1, Pt. 1
- 1961, 1966: Publication No. 41-1, Pt. II
- Through 1970: Publication No. 4 1-1
released in 1973.
- 1971-1980: Supplement added to Pub
lication No. 41-1, which was reprinted
in 1982 (edited by J.L. Coffman, Carl
Von Hake, and C.W. Stover; printed
jointly by NOAA and USGS)
Earthquakes in the United States (continues "Abstracts
of Earthquake Reports for the United States"; see above)
- Published quarterly; contains detailed accounts
of observed earthquake effects, preliminary
isoseismal maps; final information summarized
and condensed in "United States Earthquakes"
in the USGS Circular series:
- 1974: Circulars 723A-D
- 1975: Circulars 749A-D
- 1976: Circulars 766A-D
- 1977: Circulars 788A-D
- 1978: Circulars 819A-D
- 1979: Circulars 836A-D
- 1980: Circulars 853A-D
- 1981: Circulars 871A-D
- 1982: Circulars 896A-D
- (Discontinued in 1983)
Preliminary Determination of Epicenters (PDE)
- Computer locations of earthquakes determined from data furnished by
seismographic observatories worldwide; locations may be revised as new or
more extensive network data are used and published elsewhere; lists
latitude, longitude, region of occurrence, magnitude, depth, number of
deaths, comments on damage. Published weekly with monthly cumulations that
supersede weekly issues.
- 1937-1973: Department of Commerce
- U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
- 1973-1988: Department of the Interior
Monthly Weather Review
Monthly summary; earthquakes described in this series are entered for the
month in which they occurred. The series was published from 1915 through
June 1924.
United States Earthquakes
- Published annually. Preceded by "Seismological Report" (see below);
condensed summary of the quarterly series "Abstracts of Earthquake Reports
for the Pacific Coast and thw Western Mountain Region" (see above), which
was superseded in 1974 by "Earthquakes in the United States" (see above).
Less information than quarterly reports, but more information than is
included in "Earthquake History of the United States" (see above). Describes
earthquakes in the United States, the Panama Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, and
the Virgin Islands. Includes list and short descriptions of principal
earthquakes of the world for the year. Older issues and new annual issues
by the USGS in either its open-file report or bulletin series.
- 1925-1927: Seismological Report Serial No. 328 (11 v.;
published quarterly)
- Department of Commerce
- U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
- 1928-1965: Department of Commerce
- U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
- 1966-1969: Department of Commerce
- NEIC (absorbed in 1973 into Department of the
Interior, USGS)
- 1970: Department of Commerce
- NOAA, National Geophysics Data Center
- 1971-1972: Department of Commerce
- NOAA, National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial
Data Center (name change from National Geophysical
Data Center)
- 1973: Department of Commerce, NOAA, and Department of the
Interior, USGS
U.S. Earthquakes
- Cumulated reprints.
- 1928-1935: Department of Commerce
- 1936-1940: ESSA
- 1941-1945: (ESSA), NEIC; originally published by the U.S.
Government Printing Office, later by the USGS in its
open-file report series.
Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest
The references listed here forcus on Washington, Oregon, and western Canada.
For additional information about earthquakes in eastern Washington, see also
the annual technical reports (S.D. Malone, principal investigator) produced
by the Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington
Western United States
- 1769-1897: Holden, E.S., 1898, A catalogue of earthquakes on the
Pacific Coast 1769 to 1897: Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections
37 (1087), 253 p.
- 1796-1928: Townley, S.D.; Allen, M.W., 1939, Descriptive
catalogue of earthquakes of the Pacific coast of the United States
1769 to 1928: Seismological Society of America Bulletin, v. 29,
no. 1, p. 1-297.
- 1840-1965: Rasmussen, N.H., 1967, Washington State earthquakes,
1840 through 1965: Seismological Society of America Bulletin, v. 57,
no. 3, p. 463-476
- 1841-1958: Berg, J.W.; Baker, C.D., 1963, Oregon earthquakes,
1841 through 1958: Seismological Society of America Bulletin, v. 53
, no. 1, p. 95-108
- 1897-1906: McAdie, A.G., 1907, Catalogue of earthquakes on the
Pacific Coast, 1897-1906: Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 49
, article 5, 64 p.
- 1846-1915: Smith, W.D., 1919, Earthquakes in Oregon:
Seismological Society of America Bulletin, v. 9, no. 3, p. 59-71.
- 1970-1972: Crosson, R.S., 1974, Compilation of earthquake
hypocenters in western Washington, July 1970-December 1972:
Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information
Circular 53, 25 p.
See also
- Crosson, R.S., 1983, Review of seismicity in the
Puget Sound region from 1970 through 1978. In Yount, J.C.;
Crosson, R.S., editors, 1983, Proceedings of Conference XIV,
Earthquake hazards of the Puget Sound region, Washington: U.S.
Geological Survey Open-File Report 83-19, p. 6-18.
- 1974: Crosson, R.S.; Millard, R.C., 1975, Compilation of
earthquake hypocenters in western Washington, 1974: Washington
Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 56,
14 p.
- 1975: Crosson, R.S.; Noson, L.L., 1978a, Compilation of
earthquake hypocenters in western Washington, 1975: Washington
Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 64,
12 p.
- 1976: Crosson, R.S.; Noson, L.L., 1987b, Compilation of
earthquake hypocenters in western Washington, 1976: Washington
Division of Geology and Earth Resource Information Circular 65,
13 p.
- 1977: Crosson, R.S.; Noson, L.L., 1979, Compilation of
earthquake hypocenters in western Washington, 1978: Washington
Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 66,
12 p.
- 1978: Noson, L.L.; Crosson, R.S., 1980, Compilation of
earthquake hypocenters in western Washington, 1978: Washington
Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 72,
17 p.
- 1979: Noson, L.L.; Ludwin, R.S.; Crosson, R.S., 1985, Compilation
of earthquake hypocenters in western Washington, 1979: Washington
Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 79,
19 p.
- 1980: Qamar, Anthony; Rathburn, Anne; Ludwin, R.S.;
Crosson, R.S., Noson, L.L; Crosson, R.S., Malone, S.D., 1987,
Earthquake hypocenters in Washington and northern Oregon-1981:
Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information
Circular 83, 50 p.
- 1982-1986: Qamar, Anthony; Ludwin, R.S.; Crosson, R.S.; Malone,
S.D., 1987, Earthquake hypocenters in Washington and northern
Oregon--1982-1986; Washington Division of Geology and Earth
Resources Information Circular 84, 78 p.
- [The reports by Qamar and others contain chronological lists of
earthquakes in Washington and northern Oregon, a short review of
earthquake activity for the period covered, and a description of the
University of Washington seismograph network. Earthquake
compilations for eastern and western Washington for years prior to
1980 were published separately; see reports by S.D. Malone cited in
these reports and unpublished annual technical reports for 1975-
1987 by Malone, available from the Dept. of Earth and Space Sciences, University
of Washington.]
Western Canada
- 1840-1975: Milne, W.G.; Rogers, G.C.; Riddihough, R.P.; McMechan,
G.A.; Hyndman, R.D., 1978, Seismicity of western Canada: Canadian
Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 15, no. 7, p. 1170-1193.
See also
- 1841-1951: Milne, W.G., 1956, Seismic activity of Canada, west of
the 113th meridian, 1841-1951: Canada Dominion Observatory
Publication, v. 18, no. 7, p. 126-127.
- 1951-1954: Milne, W.G; Lombardo, F., 1967, Canadian west coast
earthquakes 1951-1954: Canada Department of Energy, Mines, and
Resources Observatories Branch, 54 p.
- Includes:
- Milne, W.G.; Lombardo, F., 1953 (reprinted 1967), Canadian west
coast earthquakes, 1952: Dominion Observatory Ottawa
Publications, v. 16, no. 9, p. 313-325
- Milne, W.G., 1955 (reprinted 1967), Canadian west coast
earthquakes, 1953: Dominion Observatory Ottawa Publications,
v. 16, no. 13, p. 393-401
- Milne, W.G., 1955 (reprinted 1967), Canadian west coast
earthquakes, 1954: Dominion Observatory Ottawa Publications,
v. 18, p. 47-58.
- 1955-1959: Milne, W.G.; Luca, K.A., 1961, Seismic activity in
western Canada, 1995 to 1959, inclusive: Dominion Observatory Ottawa
Publications, v. 26, no. 1, 23 p.
- General:
- Rogers, G.C. 1982, Revised seismicity and revised fault plane
solutions for the Queen Charlotte Islands region: Canada
Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources, Earth Physics
Branch, Open File 82-23.
- Rogers, G.C., 1983, Seismotectonics of British Columbia:
University of British Columbia Doctor of Philosophy thesis,
247 p.
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Pacific Northwest Earthquake Information