Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Making Non-Digitally-Recorded Seismograms
Accessible Online for Studying Earthquakes
W. H. K. Lee and R. B. Benson
Foreword
Instrumental observations of earthquakes using the available technology
at different times have been carried out over the past 120 years at either single seis-
mic stations or networks of various sizes, from local to global scales. Before the
1980s, almost all seismograms were recorded on paper or photographic medium.
Due to wars or neglects, many of these analog (or non-digitally recorded) seismo-
grams had been lost, or are deteriorating and disappearing in a rapid rate.
This article is intended to summarize the authors' efforts to rescue and preserve
seismograms, and to post non-digitally recorded seismograms and related research
materials online for free access by anyone, anywhere. We also included some back-
ground information about observational seismology and constructions of online
archives of old seismograms by others.
1 Introduction
Seismology became a quantitative scientific discipline after instruments were de-
veloped to record seismic waves in the late 19th century (Dewey and Byerly 1969;
Agnew 2002). Earthquake seismology is essentially based on field observations. The
great progress made in the past several decades has been primarily due to increas-
ingly plentiful, high-quality digital data that have been archived in open and readily
accessible archives designed exclusively for this purpose (see e.g., Ahern 2003).
Our ability to collect, process, and analyze earthquake data has been accelerated by
advances in electronics, communication, computers, and software, and is no longer
limited by communication and technical difficulties that hampered scientists in the
early years of seismology.
Historically, instrumental observations of earthquakes using the available tech-
nology at different times have been carried out over the past 120 years at either
single seismic stations or networks of various sizes, from local to global scales (see
e.g., Lee 2002). The observed data have been used, for example, (1) to compute
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