Global GIS : Significant earthquakes (2150 B.C. until 1994 A.D.)

This shapefile includes points which represent locations of significant historical earthquakes worldwide documented from 2150 B.C. until 1994 A.D. Data included here was derived from the "Catalog of Significant Earthquakes 2150 B.C. to the present : including quantitative casualties and damage," by Paula K. Dunbar, Patricia A. Lockridge, and Lowell S. Whitewide (a National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) publication). Post-1991 data is supplemented by the USGS/National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC).

This catalog is available as an online database, with significant earthquake data kept up-to-date, on the NGDC Web site. The events were gathered from scientific and scholarly sources, regional and worldwide catalogs, and individual event reports. The list includes all events that meet at least one of the following criteria: Moderate damage (approximately $1 million or more); Ten or more deaths; Magnitude 7.5 or greater; Intensity X or greater (for events lacking magnitude)