NCEI provides online access to the Earthquake Strong Motion and Seismicity Catalog databases. These collections were previously available as CD-ROMs.
The Strong Motion Database collection contains over 15,000 digitized and processed accelerograph records. It was previously available as a physical collection of three CD-ROMs.
The data represent a broad range of structural and geologic recording environments. Three types of processed records are included on the CDs:
- Uncorrected (raw)
- Corrected (filtered)
- Response spectra (includes Fourier spectra)
Data Access
- Other Sources of Earthquake Strong Motion Data
- Download the NCEI Earthquake Strong Motion Database (MS Excel; 5MB) - file contains over 15,670 records. NOTE: This database is static and is no longer being updated
- The Earthquake Strong Motion United States Events SE-0308 | NCEI
CD Volumes
Various worldwide industrial, academic, and governmental sources contributed records to the archive.
- Volume 1: California records for 1933-1988, Montana, Nevada, and Washington records
- Volume 2: California records for 1989-1994 and all other non-California USA records
- Volume 3: Non-U.S. Worldwide Events
Data Retrieval and Documentation
The SMCAT (Strong Motion Data Catalog) contains a comprehensive database which summarizes the characteristics of each accelerogram and facilitates retrieval of records for specific applications from the CDs. Over 2,000 pages of documentation containing information on the triggering earthquakes, recording stations, record processing procedures, and when available the data format were digitally scanned (.PCX files) and included on the CDs.
Structural Records
Most of the strong motion archive consists of records obtained from various man-made structures. These sites include structures of engineering importance such as dams, bridges, utilities and large buildings. These records represent a comprehensive collection of accelerograph data suitable for the analysis of dynamic structural response and soil-structure interaction.
Free-Field Records
Approximately 5,000 records in the collection are available from ground response sites. Obtained from a wide variety of geologic environments, these records comprise an important subset useful for the study of seismic attenuation in a wide variety of regional geologic media ranging from young alluvium to hard rock. Several near source records included in the database are useful for source mechanism studies.
Special Array Records
Included in the archive are records from several accelerograph instrument arrays which are used to study specific problems in strong ground motion.
This compilation of seismicity catalogs from was previously as a two-volume CD-ROM collection. It contains data on over four million earthquakes dating from 2100 B.C. to 1995 A.D. The data include information on epicentral time of origin, location, magnitudes, depth and other earthquake-related parameters.
The collection includes three types of catalogs:
- Local (containing data from single stations or local networks
- Regional (containing data from regional networks, such as CALNET in central California
- Teleseismic (containing data from around the world).
Records are from industrial, academic, governmental, and private sources from around the world. The CDs also contain auxiliary data bases (such as world stress, tsunami, volcanic, fault parameters, etc.) which aid in earthquake investigations.
Volume 1 contains events for United States, Central America, Canada, the Caribbean, Decade of North American Geology Project (DNAG), Mexico, and other Supplemental Algorithms and Catalogs.
Data Access
- Volume 1 contains events for the United States, Central America, Canada, the Caribbean, Decade of North American Geology Project (DNAG), Mexico, and other Supplemental Algorithms and Catalogs.
- Volume 2 contains events for Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, Oceania, South America, and Global Catalogs.