1988 Spitak Earthquake Database

browse graphicImage showing the collapse of an old stone masonry Armenian church near Leninakan.
The 1988 Spitak Earthquake database is an extensive collection of geophysical and geological data, maps, charts, images and descriptive text pertaining to the catastrophic earthquake in Armenia. This earthquake was unique both in catastrophic effects and in study coverage. Research groups from the former U.S.S.R., U.S.A., France, and Japan studied the earthquake area. The database was developed as a cooperative effort between centers in Russia and the United States. The goal was to provide seismologists around the world with a complete set of data for the devastating earthquake. The database contains practically all material relevant to the 1988 Spitak earthquake and its aftereffects. It also includes the geological and geophysical information collected during the years prior to the event, important for understanding the event. Almost 2,000 files and 170 megabytes of data are contained in the collection. The database is static and is no longer being updated.
Cite this dataset when used as a source.
  • ID not available.
gov.noaa.ngdc.mgg.hazards:G01269
Download Data
  • Spitak Earthquake, 1988 (download)
    This set consists of textual and graphical information about the 1988 Spitak earthquake, a "DOS" and "Microsoft Windows" menu for accessing the data, and a User Manual which discusses the data and explains how to use the access software to display and obtain useful information. The database is static and is no longer being updated.
Distribution Formats
  • ASCII
  • pcx
  • dbase
Distributor Hazards Data Manager
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
haz.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact Nicolas Arcos
DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
(303) 497-3158
haz.info@noaa.gov
Time Period 1988-12-07 to 1988-12-07
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates
West:42.000000
East:48.000000
South:40.000000
North:43.000000
Spatial Coverage Map
Documentation links not available.
Publication Dates
  • publication: 1994-08-23
Edition First
Dataset Progress Status Complete - production of the data has been completed
Data Update Frequency Not planned - There are no plans to update the data in this collection.
Purpose To provide seismologists around the world with a complete set of data for the devastating earthquake that occurred in Spitak, Armenia on December 7, 1988.
Use Limitations
  • Produced by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Not subject to copyright protection within the United States.
Points of Contact
  • Nicolas Arcos
    DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Publishers
  • NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
Theme keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords
  • Earth Science > Solid Earth > Seismology > Earthquake Occurrences
INFOTERRA Keyword Thesaurus
  • INFOTERRA > Disasters > Catastrophic phenomena > Earthquakes
  • INFOTERRA > Lithosphere > Seismic activity > Seismic activity
  • INFOTERRA > Lithosphere > Seismic monitoring > Seismic monitoring
Uncontrolled Keywords
  • Epicenter
  • Hypocenter
Data Center keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NGDC > National Geophysical Data Center, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Instrument keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords
  • Seismographs
  • Seismometers
  • Visual Observations
Place keywords Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
  • Asia > Armenia > Spitak
Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords
  • Continent > Asia > Western Asia > Armenia
Project keywords Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Project Keywords
  • ICSU-WDS > International Council for Science - World Data System
Use Constraints No constraint information available
Access Constraints
  • Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.
Fees
  • Free on the web
Lineage information for:dataset
Lineage Statement This is a collection of data related to the 1988 Spitak earthquake that was released by the Russian Academy of Sciences National Geophysical Committee Geophysical Center and NOAA National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC). It was a demonstration project to provide access to different types of geophysical data all related to one event, e.g. seismicity data, isoseismal maps, seismic zoning maps, earthquake strong motion data, images showing damage. The data were formatted to be accessed with the NGDC-developed GeoVu software.
Processor
  • DOC/NOAA/NESDIS/NCEI > National Centers for Environmental Information, NESDIS, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce
Source Datasets
Lineage information for:repository
Processing Steps
  • 2015-04-22T00:00:00 -NOAA created the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) by merging NOAA's National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC), and National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), including the National Coastal Data Development Center (NCDDC), per the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235. NCEI launched publicly on April 22, 2015.
Last Modified: 2018-07-30
For questions about the information on this page, please email:haz.info@noaa.gov