WORLD DATA CENTER A for Solid Earth Geophysics CATALOG OF SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKES 2000 B.C. - 1979 Including Quantitative Casualties and Damage July 1981 WORLD DATA CENTER A National Academy of Sciences 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 20418 World Data Center A consists of the Coordination Office and seven Subcenters: World Data Center A Coordination Office National Academy of Sciences 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 20418 [Telephone: (202) 389-6478] Gtaciology [Snow and Ice]: Rotation of the Earth: World Data Center A: Glaciology World Data Center A: Rotation [Snow and Ice] of the Earth Inst. of Arctic 6 Alpine Research U.S. Naval Observatory University of Colorado Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 20390 Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. 80309 [Telephone: (202) 254-4023] [Telephone: (303) 492-5171] Solar-TerrestriaZ Physics (Solar and Meteorology (and NucZear Radiation) : Interplanetary Phenomena, Ionospheric Phenomena, Flare-Associated Events, World Data Center A: Meteorology Geomagnetic Variations, Magnetospheric National Climatic Center and Interplanetary Magnetic Phenomena, Federal Building Aurora, Cosmic Rays, Airglow): Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.A. 28801 [Telephone: (704) 258-2850] World Data Center A for Solar-Terrestrial Physics Oceanography : NOAA/EI)IS 325 Broadway World Data Center A: Oceanography Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. 80303 National Oceanic and Atmospheric [Telephone: (303) 499-1000, Ext. 64671 Administration Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 20235 Solid-Earth Geophysics (Seismology, [Telephone: (262) 634-72491 Tsunamis, Gravimetry, Earth Tides, Recent Movements of the Earth's Rockets and SateZZites: Crust, Magnetic Measurements, Paleomagnetism and Archeomagnetism, World Data Center A: Rockets and Volcanology, Geothermics): Satellites Goddard Space Flight Center World Data Center A Code 601 for Solid-Earth Geophysics Greenbelt, Maryland, U.S.A. 20771 NOAAWDIS [Telephone: (301) 344-6695] 325 Broadway Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A. 80303 [Telephone: (303) 499-1000, Ext 65211 NOTES : 1. World Data Centers conduct international exchange of geophysical observations in accordance with the principles set forth by the International Council of Scientific Unions. WDC-A is established in the United States under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences. 2. Communications regarding data interchange matters in general and World Data Center A as a whole should be addressed to: World Data Center A, Coordination Office (see address above). 3. Inquiries and communications concerning data in specific disciplines should be addressed to the appropriate subcenter listed above. WORLD DATA CENTER A for Solid Earth Geophysics REPORT SE-27 CATALOG OF SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKES 2000 B.C. - 1979 Including Quantitative Casualties and Damage Robert A. Ganse John B. Nelson National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center July 1981 Published by World Data Center A for Solid Earth Geophysics U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION ENVIRONMENTAL DATA AND INFORMATION SERVICE Boulder, Colorado 80303. USA OE 305 60E 90E 120E 150E 180E 1SOW 120W 90W 60W 30W 60N 304 Oh 305 I 1 I I 605 SIGN I FI CANT EARTHQUAKES 2000BC - 1979AD INTRODUCTION The present Significant Earthquake Catalog is an expansion of a file originally created to produce the World Ma of Significant Earthquakes 1900 to Present. This map may be obtained from NOAA/NGSOC (D62dadway, Boulder, Colo. 80303. Price: $5.00 rolled, $3.00 folded. The present catalog attempts to include events from available scientific or scholarly sources (drawing from regional and worldwide catalogs and individual event reports) that meet the following criteria: moderate damage (approximately $1 million or greater in 1979 dollars), or at least 10 deaths, or magnitude 7.5 or greater. For events lacking magnitude, intensity X or greater is the criterion. Many lesser events are also included (particularly for the United States); however, as a rule, these come from catalogs that were originally incorporated because they did include some events meeting the above criteria. At present, the catalog consists of some 2,484 events drawn from more than 100 different sources, The events range in date from 2,000 B.C. through 1979. It lists the following seismological parameters for each event: time deaths latitude and longitude damage class depth references magnitude/intensity geographic location When a numerical value is given for depth it is in kilometers; N indicates normal depth; S, shallow depth, as defined in the reference cited. Magnitudes are generally Ms unless indicated other- wise (a following 6 indicates body-wave magnitude, a following L, local magnitude). Magnitudes given for pre-20th Century events are generally estimations from intensity data. When no magnitude was available, the maximum intensity (written as a Roman numeral) is given. When available, damage is given in -. Monetary conversion tables for the time of the event are used to convert foreign currency to dollars. Inflation tables (table I) are used to determine if the damage was significant enough to justify including the event in the catalog. For those events not offering a monetary evaluation of damage, the following qualitative five-level scale was used to classify damage (1979 dol 1 ars) : Insigni f icant Limited (roughly corresponding to less than $1 million) Moderate (roughly corresponding to $1 to 5 million) Severe (roughly corresponding to $5 to 25 million) Extreme (roughly corresponding to $25 mi11 ion or more) When possible a rough estimate is made of the dollar amount of damage based upon the description provided, to choose the damage category. In many cases, onJy a single descriptive term is available and when possible, these terms are converted to the damage categories based upon the author’s apparent use of the term elsewhere. In the absence of other information, limited is considered synonymous with slight, minor, and light; severe as synonymous with major, extensive, and heavy; and extreme as synony- mous with catastrophic. Note: The descriptive terms relate approximately to presmue but the actual dollar values given in the listings are not adjusted for inflation. For this, use Table 1. References for epicenter information, reported deaths, and damage are indicated for each entry. Multiple entries are made when different sources offer substantially different information. There are 3,107 entries representing the 2,484 unique events. The symbol I&’ following the longitude indicates that the coordinates are extremely approximate (e.g., resulting from a geographic description that indicated only the country). These coordinates are included for use in making computer searches. The symbol ’#’ following the longitude indicates that the coordinates were adopted from an apparent duplicate entry which gives a better indication of the coordinates. When a substantial portion of the damage is noted to be associated with a tsunami, the word “tsunami“ is placed in the location colunin. This catalog is printed in two formats: sorted chronolo- gical ly and by longitude. This catalog will be maintained as a computer file and updated. The authors recognize that the catalog may be incomplete and contain inaccuracies. They would appreciate these being brought to the attention of World Data Center A. iii Table 1. Adjustment Earthquake Damage to Current Dollar Values 1972=100 1979=100 1972=100 L979= 100 1979 166 100 1915 141k 81k 1978 151 91 1910 131k 8 1977 142 86 1905 12 7 1976 134 81 1900 101k 61k 1975 127 76 1895 91k 51k 1974 115 70 lago l0lh 61k 1973 106 64 1885 101k 61k 1972 100 60 1380 10 6 1970 91 55 1875 lllh 7 1965 74 44 1870 12 7 1960 69 42 1865 12 a 1955 61 37 1862 8 5 1950 54 33 1860 71k 41k 1946 44 27 1855 a 5 1938 27 16 1850 71k 41k 1933 25 15 1840 71k 4% 1929 33 20 1830 6 31k 1925 28 I/!? 17 1820 61k 4 1920 34 20 1820 7 4 1919 25 16 iaoo 61/2 4 1917 20 12 1970 5 3 Based on implicit price deflator for 1929 to present as given on page 42 of 1979 INFORMATION PLEASE ALMANAC, and building materials and building trades wage information for 1790 through 1929 as given in Historical Statistics of the United States, Colonial Times to 1957, U.S. Department of Commerce. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors express their appreciation to Meri Nakajima who entered most of the data into the computer file, to Carlos Angel and Andy Martinez who translated foreign language catalogs, to Carl von Hake who reviewed the list and offered numerous corrections and additions, and to Carol Weathers, who prepared the com- puter file for publication. V Blank page retained for pagination CONTENTS Page Map of significant earthquakes. 2. 000 B.C. .. 1979 A.0 ...................... ii Introduction................................................................ iii Acknowledgments ............................................................. V Significant earthquakes ordered chronologically 2000 B.C. ............................................................. 1 10 A.D. ............................................................. 1 500 .................................................................. 2 600 .................................................................. 2 700 .................................................................. 2 800 .................................................................. 3 900 .................................................................. 4 1000 .................................................................. 4 1100 .................................................................