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COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA Edward G. Rendell, Governor DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES Michael DiBerardinis, Secretary BUREAU OF TOPOGRAPHIC AND GEOLOGIC SURVEY Jay B. Parrish, Director |
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Map 69 |
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EARTHQUAKE CATALOG AND EPICENTER MAP OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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compiled by |
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The enclosed files present a compilation of 437 seismic events (mostly earthquakes) in and near
Pennsylvania. The data include instrumentally recorded seismic events from the mid-1960s to July 31, 2003, as well as historical (pre-instrumental) events since 1724. |
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OBJECTIVES |
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The objectives of this study are to (1) provide a comprehensive database/catalog and coverage (dataset) of earthquake epicenters in and near Pennsylvania from 1724 to July 31, 2003, which had previously been lacking in one source; and (2) create digital files in standard formats that can be readily used by government, industry, academia, and the public to obtain geologic information critical to planning and decision making. |
CONTENTS |
The
links below will either open the file or the directory where the
file resides on this CD–ROM (CD). To obtain software for viewing the PDF and data files, please refer to software required for viewing the files. Please also read the disclaimer prior to using the database, map, dataset, or other information on this CD. The database files should be downloaded from the CD to the hard drive of your computer before use. To download, (1) make a directory on the hard drive (for example, “eqpa”); (2) select all files and directories on the CD and move them to the directory on the hard drive, keeping the directory structure of the CD intact within the new directory; and (3) select all of the downloaded files and remove the “read only” attribute (this is generally done through the “Properties” dialog box). Please note that the autoplay feature will not function after the files have been moved to the hard drive, but the links in “eqpa_intro.htm” (this file) will be usable. Database/Catalog Epicenter Map/Dataset |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
Putting together an earthquake catalog of Pennsylvania necessarily drew upon the various existing earthquake catalogs and publications as sources of information. These sources are listed in the references table of the database. The search of historic earthquakes felt in Pennsylvania by Abdypoor and Bischke (1982) and Charles Scharnberger’s catalog of earthquakes in Pennsylvania (Scharnberger, 2003) were particularly helpful, as were the catalogs developed by the U.S. Geological Survey over the years, such as the SRA (1987) [Stover, Reagor, and Algermissen, 1987], the NCEER (1992) [Armbruster and Seeber, 1992], the CEUS (1996) [Mueller, Hopper, and Frankel, 1996], and Gordon and Dewey (1999). The author is indebted to Russell Wheeler of the U.S. Geological Survey and to Charles Scharnberger of Millersville University for numerous discussions on seismicity of Pennsylvania and the various available catalogs. He appreciates the thoughtful and detailed reviews that each gave to the resulting catalog and epicenter map. Christine Miles of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey guided and provided critical support for the assembly of the digital epicenter map of Pennsylvania and the transformation of the earthquake database into a dataset, which the author greatly appreciates. Caron O’Neil, Anne Lutz, and Christine Miles of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey thoroughly edited and corrected the database and dataset. |
FURTHER INFORMATION |
For more information on the contents of this CD–ROM, please contact: Citation of this publication should contain the following information: Additional copies of this publication may be purchased from: |