Earthquakes represent one of the most frequent and impactful natural disasters globally, posing a significant challenge to human survival and development in the modern era. Seismic hazards exhibit the following prominent characteristics:
- Immense Destructive Power. Earthquakes cause destruction to mountains, ground surfaces, and their attachments (e.g., vegetation, buildings), often accompanied by secondary disasters such as tsunamis, fires, landslides, and floods. These events result in substantial casualties, property damage, and may induce new technological hazards in modern socioeconomic systems, including communication failures and computer system accidents.
- Instantaneity and Unpredictability. Earthquakes occur instantaneously, with seismic effects lasting from mere seconds to a maximum of 2-3 minutes, yet capable of triggering catastrophic collapses. Effective defensive measures cannot be organized within such short timeframes. Current scientific capabilities remain insufficient for earthquake prediction in the foreseeable future.
- High Frequency. Approximately 5 million earthquakes occur annually worldwide, equating to tens of thousands daily. Most are imperceptibly minor or distant, with only 10-20 causing significant human impact and 1-2 resulting in exceptionally severe damage annually.
The socioeconomic impacts of earthquakes manifest through multiple dimensions. Macroscopically, while sudden natural disasters severely damage regional infrastructure and buildings (potentially causing mass casualties and negative economic impacts), they simultaneously create opportunities for urban renewal. The destruction resolves conflicts between land redevelopment and durable structures in urban development, providing new economic momentum. Microscopically, the catastrophic damage imposes substantial fiscal pressures on local governments for short-term rescue and reconstruction efforts, potentially leading to intensified corporate tax enforcement for revenue generation, thereby directly affecting enterprises.
The CnOpenData U.S. Earthquake Information Dataset contains comprehensive earthquake-related data compiled by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) from 1800 to present, offering high-quality data resources for relevant research.
Data Coverage
- 1800.01.01-2024.07.18
- Collected by USGS, includes:
- Domestic U.S. earthquakes with magnitude ≥2.5
- Global earthquakes with magnitude ≥5.0
Data Scale
Field Display
Sample Data
References
- Abbasoglu, Hilmi Bugra and Kalkan, Burak, Seismic Shifts in Property Valuations: A Salience Theory Approach to Understanding Market Reactions to Earthquake Risk (June 06, 2024).
Data Update Frequency
Annual Updates