AHEAD European Archive of Historical EArthquake Data

  Macroseismic web service  

The AHEAD macroseismic web services provide access to macroseismic intensity data points (MDPs) related to the earthquakes dealt with in AHEAD and derived from the archived descriptive studies.

The main difference between the fdsnws-event and this web service, is that the provided xml is encoded using QuakeML 2.0 experimental macroseismic package (v0.9).

In order to deal with macroseismic data, a series of additional query parameters are provided.

This experimental web service only provides macroseismic data directly managed by INGV.

If you know the event identifier, you may retrieve it directly by entering

https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/query?eventid=xxx
Alternatively, you may enter
https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/id/xxxx

Where "xxxx" is the event identifier.

Further information about the web service usage

Index

*** WARNINGS ***

By default the number of earthquakes provided by each query is limited to 100 events. You may obtain more earthquakes by altering the default "limit" value.

Before downloading data you should carefully read the AHEAD copyright notice, and the disclaimer.
In any case, if you use these data to produce anything that will be made public, you should reference data as downloaded from AHEAD, citing also the original author of the data set.

If you encounter what you think is a bug, find a weird behaviour of the service, or spot errors in the output, you are kindly asked to get in touch with the developer, detailing the issues.

The service encode macroseismic data following the specifications of the QuakeML v2.0 which is still under development.
Please check the current status on the QuakeML website.

Here you can see the current status of the Macroseismic package, together with the Basic Event Description package, the Common package, and the Resource Metadata package.

These the XML schemas used in this service:

Symbology

If you would like to plot macroseismic intensity data using the AHEAD symbology, please have a look at the following link
AHEAD Macroseismic Intensity symbols color codes

Specific event ID request

Parameter Default Description
eventid Type: text, 17 characters

Select a specific event by enetering the event identifier.
AHEAD event identifiers are based on the date (up to minutes), and a progressive number of maximum 3 characters (999).

Event identifier structure (the number is the char position):

  • 1-4 year
  • 5-6 month
  • 7-8 day
  • 9 "_"
  • 10-11 hour
  • 12-13 minutes
  • 14 "_"
  • 15-17 progressive number between 000 and 999

Example:
https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/query?eventid=quakeml:eu.ahead/event/13480125_1530_000

Alternatively, you may use the contracted form

https://www.emidius.eu/fdsnws/event/1/query?eventid=13480125_1530_000

Time constraints

Parameter Default Description
starttime
(abbrev. start) 		Type: text
Unit: date and time *
Allowed values: between year 1000 and 1899-12-31T23:59

Limit to events on or after the specified start time.

endtime
(abbrev. end) 		Type: text
Unit: date and time *
Allowed values: between year 1000 and 1899-12-31T23:59

Limit to events on or before the specified end time.

updatedafter Type: text
Unit: date and time *
Allowable values: greater than 2013-12-31

Limit to events updated in AHEAD after the specified time.
Useful for synchronizing events.

* Date and time can be written in one of the followinf formats
  - YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm
  - YYYY-MM-DDThh
  - YYYY-MM-DD
  - YYYY-MM
  - YYYY

Where
- YYYY, the year, always four-digits (1000-1899)
- MM, the month, always two-digits (01-12)
- DD, the day, always two-digits (01-31)
- T, date-time separator, you must use it if you enter the time
- hh, the hour, always two digits (00-23, AM/PM not allowed)
- mm, the minute, always two digits (00-59)

Notes
- if start is later than end, the system will be fault tolerant and will fix the error;
- due to the historical nature of data contained in AHEAD, seconds are ignored

Example
https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/query?starttime=1742&endtime=1743-02-20

or using abbreviated parameters:
https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/query?start=1742&end=1743-02-20

Geographic constraints

Box area constraints (in alternative to Circular constraints)

Parameter Default Description
minlatitude
(abbrev. minlat) 		-90 Type: float
Unit: decimal degrees
Allowed values: between -90 and 90

Limit to events with a latitude larger than or equal to the specified minimum.

maxlatitude
(abbrev. maxlat) 		90 Type: float
Unit: decimal degrees
Allowed values: between -90 and 90

Limit to events with a latitude smaller than or equal to the specified maximum.

minlongitude
(abbrev. minlon) 		-180 Type: float
Unit: decimal degrees
Allowed values: between -180 and 180

Limit to events with a longitude larger than or equal to the specified minimum.

maxlongitude
(abbrev. maxlon) 		180 Type: float
Unit: decimal degrees
Allowed values: between -180 and 180

Limit to events with a longitude smaller than or equal to the specified maximum.

Example
https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/query?minlat=44.559&maxlat=47.354&minlon=11.942&maxlon=14.513&limit=300

Circular constraints (in alternative to Box area constraints)

Parameter Default Description
latitude
(abbrev. lat) 		0 Type: float
Unit: decimal degrees
Allowed values: between -90 and 90

Specify the latitude to be used for a radius search.

longitude
(abbrev. lon) 		0 Type: float
Unit: decimal degrees
Allowed values: between -180 and 180

Specify the longitude to the used for a radius search.

minradius 0 Type: float
Unit: geographical degrees

Limit to events within the specified minimum number of degrees from the geographic point defined by the latitude and longitude parameters.

maxradius 1 Type: float
Unit: geographical degrees
Allowed values: between 1 and 5

Limit to events within the specified maximum number of degrees from the geographic point defined by the latitude and longitude parameters.

Example
https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/query?lat=45.956&lon=13.227&maxradius=100&limit=300

Magnitude constraints

Parameter Default Description
minmagnitude
(abbrev. minmag) 		Type: float
Unit: magnitude

Limit to events with a magnitude larger than the specified minimum.

maxmagnitude
(abbrev. maxmag) 		Type: float
Unit: magnitude

Limit to events with a magnitude smaller than the specified maximum.

magnitudetype
(abbrev. magtype) 		Type: text
Allowed values: ML, Ms, mb, Mw, nd

Specify a magnitude type to use for testing the minimum and maximum limits.
As of today, AHEAD adopts the EPICA 1000-1899 catalogue as the preferred solution for magnitudes, consequently all are expressed in Mw.
Code explanation:
- ML, local magnitude
- Ms, surface wave magnitude
- mb, body-wave magnitude
- Mw, moment magnitude
- nd, not determined

Example:
https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/query?minmag=5.6&maxmag=5.9

Data source constraints

Parameter Default Description
catalog Type: text
Allowed values:

Limit to events from a specified catalog.

contributor Type: text
Allowed values:

Limit to events contributed by a specified contributor.

Output data structure

Parameter Default Description
format xml Type: text
Allowed values: xml, text, textmacro, json, jsonmacro

Specify format of result, either ‘xml’ (default) or ‘text’.
The format ‘xml’ returns a response using QuakeML 2.0.

orderby time Type: text
Allowed values: time, time-asc, magnitude, magnitude-asc

Order the result by time or magnitude with the following possibilities:
time: order by origin descending time
time-asc: order by origin ascending time
magnitude: order by descending magnitude
magnitude-asc: order by ascending magnitude

includeallorigins false Type: boolean
Allowed values: true/false (case insensitive)

Specify if all origins for the event should be included. By default only the preferred origin only is included..

includeallmagnitudes false Type: boolean
Allowed values: true/false (case insensitive)

Specify if all magnitudes for the event should be included. By default only the preferred magnitude only is included.

limit 100 Type: integer
Allowed values: between 1 and 5000

Limit the results to the specified number of events.

offset 1 Type: integer
Allowable values:

Return results starting at the event count specified, starting at 1.

nodata 204 Type: boolean
Allowable values: 204, 404

Select status code for “no data”, either ‘204’ or ‘404’.

Non standard FDSN-event parameters

Parameter Default Description
minradiuskm 0 Type: float
Unit: km

Limit to events within the specified minimum number of kilometers (km) from the geographic point defined by the latitude and longitude parameters.

maxradiuskm 50 Type: float
Unit: km
Allowed values: between 1 and 500

Limit to events within the specified maximum number of kilometers (km) from the geographic point defined by the latitude and longitude parameters.

contributorid false Type: text
Allowed values: true/false (case insensitive)

Request the event identifier provided by a contributor.
This parameter will only works when the parameter "contributor" is submitted.

macroseismicpackage true Type: boolean
Allowed values: true/false (case insensitive)

Specify if the QuakeML 2.0 Macroseismic Package should be turned on.
When enable, the "macroseismicParameters" will be included, such as the list of "macroseismicEvent", "macroseismicOrigin", "macroseismicMagnitude", "mdpSet" will be included the in the XML output.
The parameters will be automatically set to "false" when output is set to "text", and will be set to "true" when either "includeallmdpsets" or "includemdps" are set to "true".

includeallmdpsets false Type: boolean
Allowed values: true/false (case insensitive)

Specify if all available MDPsets associated to the earthquakes should be included.
By default, the web service will only provide the preferred MDP set.

includemdps false Type: boolean
Allowed values: true/false (case insensitive)

Specify if MDPs contained in each MDP set should be included.
Please, note that only macroseismic data directly managed by INGV will be included.

mdpsetid false Type: integer
Allowed values: true/false (case insensitive)

Select a specific event by entering its event identifier.

minmdps false Type: integer
Allowed values: no limit

Limit to events with a minimum number of MDPs larger or equal to the specified minimum.

maxmdps false Type: integer
Allowed values: no limit

Limit to events with a maximum number of MDPs lower or equal to the specified maximum.

minintensity false Type: text
Allowed values:
  • 1, 1-2, 2, 2-3, 3, 3-4, 4, 4-5, 5, 5-6, 6, 6-7, 8, 8-9, 9, 9-10, 10, 10-11, 11
  • I, I-II, II, II-III, III, III-IV, IV, IV-V, V, V-VI, VI, VI-VII, VII, VII-VIII, VIII, VIII-IX, IX, IX-X, X, X-XI, XI

Limit to events with a maximum reported intensity larger or equal to the specified minimum.

maxintensity false Type: text
Allowed values:
  • 1, 1-2, 2, 2-3, 3, 3-4, 4, 4-5, 5, 5-6, 6, 6-7, 8, 8-9, 9, 9-10, 10, 10-11, 11
  • I, I-II, II, II-III, III, III-IV, IV, IV-V, V, V-VI, VI, VI-VII, VII, VII-VIII, VIII, VIII-IX, IX, IX-X, X, X-XI, XI

Limit to events with a maximum reported intensity lower or equal to the specified maximum.

Examples:
https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/query?eventid=13480125_1530_000&includemdps=true&format=xml

https://www.emidius.eu/services/macroseismic/query?eventid=13480125_1530_000&includemdps=true&format=textmacro

Not supported fdsnws-event parameters

The following parameters will be ignored by the service.

Parameter Default Description
mindepth Type: float
Unit: km

Limit to events with depth more than the specified minimum.

maxdepth Type: float
Unit: km

Limit to events with depth less than the specified maximum.

includearrivals Type: boolean
Allowed values: true/false (case insensitive)

Specify if phase arrivals should be included.