Earthquake Quarterly - Summer 1996

This newsletter is a production of the Western States Seismic Policy Council
121 Second Street, 4th Floor San Francisco, California 94105
415/974-6422 fax 415/974-1747
e-mail: wsspc@wsspc.org
web address: http://www.wsspc.org

Steven Ganz, Executive Director
Andrea James, Administrative Assistant

NEW WSSPC FEATURE
JOB LISTINGS
The Fall 1996 Issue of the WSSPC Newsletter will feature current job announcements.
Deadline for submitting listings is October 11.
Listings agencies must accept applications until November 8. Please make a note of this free service for your agency and tell your Human Resources Department to include us on their mailing list for job postings. Job listings will also be regularly posted on the WSSPC Web site (no deadline for submissions).

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If you are interested in continuing to receive this free newsletter, fill out this section, copy it and send it to the WSSPC office.
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Mail to: 121 Second Street, 4th Floor San Francisco California 94105 or fax it to: (415) 974-1747 or e-mail us at: wsspc@wsspc.org

Western States Seismic Policy Council
Annual Conference

September 18-21,1996 -- Polson Montana
Schedule of Events and Invited Speakers
"Pursuing Partnership"

The mission of the Western States Seismic Policy Council is to provide a forum to advance earthquake hazard reduction programs throughout the Western States Region and to develop and recommend seismic policies and programs for the region through information exchange, research and education.



Wednesday, September 18
2:30 p.m.
WSSPC Board of Directors Meeting
Conference Registration

5:30 p.m.
Vendor Fair and Exposition

7:00 p.m.
Social

Thursday, September 19
7:00 a.m.
Breakfast

8:00 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies
Michael Armstrong -- Regional Director, FEMA, Region VIII
Lorayne Frank -- Director, Utah Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management.
Steven Ganz -- Executive Director, WSSPC
James F. Greene -- Administrator, Montana Disaster and Emergency Services Division

8:30 a.m.
FEMA National Presentation
Lacy Suiter -- Director, Office of Policy and Assessment, Federal Emergency Management Agency

9:00 a.m.
Implementation of 'HAZUS' as a National Earthquake Loss Estimation Tool
Tom Durham -- Executive Director, Central United States Earthquake Consortium
Richard K. Eisner -- California Office of Emergency Services Coastal Region Earthquake Prep. Project
Gil Jamieson -- Branch Chief, FEMA National Headquarters, Earthquake Office
Philip J. Schneider -- Director, National Institute of Building Sciences

10:00 a.m.
Vendor Fair and Exposition Continues

10:30 a.m.
Earthquake Information Providers and the Earthquake Information Network
Jill Andrews -- Dir. Knowledge Transfer, Southern California Earthquake Center
David L. Butler -- NHRAIC
Jill Stevens-Johnston-- Center for Earthquake Research and Information
Dorothy S. Tao -- Information. Specialist, NCEER/IS
Charles Watson -- Geologist, Ad. Geo. Exploration/Seismo-Watch
Implementation of 'HAZUS' as a National Earthquake Loss Estimation Tool
Richard K. Eisner -- California Office of Emergency Services Coastal Region Earthquake Prep. Project
Gil Jamieson -- Branch Chief, FEMA National Headquarters, Earthquake Office
Philip J. Schneider -- Director, National Institute of Building Sciences
Synopsis of Seismic Threats in the Western United States: Impacts to the National Transportation Infrastructure
Doug Bausch -- WSSPC-95
John Porco -- Deputy Dir. U.S. Dept. of Transportation

11:30 a.m.
Lunch

1:00 p.m.
Community Education and Multimedia
Joanne Hoffard -- FEMA, Region IX
Fred Naeher -- Earthquake Program. Director Montana Disaster and Emergency Services Div.
Sarah Nathe -- California Office of Emergency Services
Basin and Range Committee Meeting
Craig M. dePolo -- Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Strategic Planning Committee Meeting
James F. Davis -- State Geologist Div. of Mines & Geology, California Department of Conservation.

2:00 p.m.
Keynote Address: "Pursuing Partnership"
General Hal Sterns, Montana National Guard

3:00 p.m.
WSSPC Annual Business Meeting

4:30 p.m.
WSSPC Member State Reports

8:30 p.m.
Social and Beginning of Poster Session

Friday, September 20

7:00 a.m.
Breakfast

8:00 a.m.
Tsunami Hazard Mitigation
Dr. Eddie Bernard -- Director, Pacific Marine Environmental Lab

9:30 a.m.
Seismic Mapping Projects
James F. Davis -- State Geologist, Div. of Mines & Geology, California Department of Conservation.
Walter W. Hays -- USGS, Office of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Engineering
Vic Levson -- Manager, Environmental. Geo. Section British Columbia Geo. Survey Branch.
Matthew Mabey -- Geologist Oregon Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries
Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Committee
Dr. Eddie Bernard -- Director Pacific Marine Environmental Lab
Brian Yanagi -- Hawaii State Civil Defense

11:00 a.m.
Field Excursion

4:00 p.m.
WSSPC Board of Directors Meeting

7:00 p.m.
Conference Banquet

Saturday, September 21

7:00 a.m.
Breakfast

8:00 a.m.
Earthquakes and Hazard Insurance
Jim Ament -- State Farm Insurance
Dave Desantis -- Natural Disasters Coalition


9:30 a.m.
Comprehensive Post-Earthquake Information Management
Jill Andrews -- Director, Knowledge Transfer, Southern California Earthquake Center
Richard K. Eisner -- California Office of Emergency Services Coastal Region Earthquake Prep. Project
Susan Tubbesing -- Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
Earthquake Efforts at Public Utilities
Jack Bernherdsen -- Tacoma City Power and Light
Michael Brown -- Montana Dam Safety Office
The Earthquake Community and The World Wide Web
David L. Butler -- NHRAIC
Pat Coty -- Manager, NCEER
Steven Ganz -- Executive Director, Western States Seismic Policy Council

11:00 a.m.
Seismic Safety Commissions and Boards
Dick McCarthy -- California Seismic Safety Commission
Terry C. Wallace, Jr. -- University of Arizona, Dept. of Geosciences

12:00 p.m.
Buffet Lunch on Patio

1:00 p.m.
Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup
Jack Bernherdsen -- Tacoma City Power and Light
Earthquake Preparedness and Mitigation
Mike Tuszynski -- Kila Public Schools, Montana
Richard Giffin -- Coordinator, Lake County Disaster & Emergency Services
Lloyd Jackson -- Tribal Disaster and Emergency Services
Idaho National Engineering Laboratory
Jeff Lacy -- Principal Engineer, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

2:00 p.m.
Social (End of Conference)

3:30 p.m.
WSSPC Strategic Planning Committee Meeting
James F. Davis -- State Geologist Div. of Mines & Geology, California Department of Conservation.

KwaTaqNuk Resort and Flathead Lake

The WSSPC Annual Conference will be held at the KwaTaqNuk Resort on the doorstep of Montana's Flathead Lake. The resort is located on the south shore of the lake, which is south of Glacier National Park. The resort commands a sweeping view of the Mission Mountains and the largest fresh water lake in the West. The KwaTaqNuk is owned and operated by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and brings together the finest in quality hospitality and services.

Room Reservations -- 1-800-882-6363
$51.00 single, $78.00 double (+ 4% room tax)
$10.00, each additional guest

Registration Fee

The WSSPC registration fee entitles participants to attend all programs and social events, including all breakfasts and lunches, the conference banquet, and the vendor fair.
All registration fees must be paid prior to attendance at the conference.
WSSPC will invoice prior to the conference. Invoices will not be issued on-site or after the conference.
PAYMENT IS MANDATORY FOR PARTICIPATION.
Registration fees can be paid by cash, check, state vouchers or by credit card.

Registration postmarked by 8/1/96 after 8/1/96
Registrant $ 210 $ 240
Spouse 60 90
Field Excursion (including lunch) 25 25

WSSPC Field Excursion

WSSPC will be hosting visits to interesting seismic sites in the Mission Fault area of Montana. The route includes a visit to a terminal moraine with a view of the Mission Mountains and the Mission Fault, a visit to an earthen dam, a visit to a second dam, as well as a stop at the Safety of Dams office and the Seismic Network in Ronan, Montana.. Lunch is provided.

Travel Information

Many of you are making your travel arrangements for the WSSPC Annual Conference. WSSPC has arranged airline discounts for your travel. To find out more please call our local Montana travel agent -- Steve Houghtaling of Uniglobe Travel at 1-800-628-0109. There are very limited flights into Missoula, so book them early. You can also contact the airlines directly by calling Delta Airlines or Alaska Airlines.

Delta Airlines 1-800-241-6760
(8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Eastern)
Refer to File Number: XI030

5% discount off any published domestic fare
10% discount off the Y06/YR06 fare

Alaska Airlines 1-800-445-4435

Refer to meeting Identification Number CMR1523

5% discount off published excursion fares
5% discount off YAS booked in "B" inventory

Hotel Information

Make your reservation today!!!

KwaTaqNuk Hotel 1-800-882-6363
$51.00 single, $78.00 double (+4% room tax)
$10.00 each additional guest

Car Rental Information

Discount car rentals are available for conference attendees. For more information, please call our local Montana travel agent -- Steve Houghtaling of Uniglobe Travel at
1-800-628-0109.

Airport Transfers

WSSPC will be arranging limited ground transportation from the Missoula airport to Polson. The Shuttle is scheduled for pick-ups at 1:00, 4:30 and 11:00 p.m. on September 18 and at 1:00 p.m. on September 19. The Shuttle is also scheduled for drop-offs at 1:00, 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. on September 21 and at 1:00 p.m. on September 22. Shuttle times may change, call the WSSPC office early to confirm because space is limited.

Additional ground transportation is available to the conference facility from both Missoula and Kalispell. The cost for the transportation ranges from $20 to $80, depending on vehicle occupancy. Call the WSSPC office for details.

Poster Session

In order to further the transfer of ideas and information between states, WSSPC will host a poster session at the Annual Conference in Polson. Space will be set aside for agencies to display their recent products and programs. Poster displays should be limited to 3 feet wide and 5 feet tall. Table space will be made available allowing you to offer samples of your materials. We hope that each state will be well represented in this session.

Reserve you space now by sending (or faxing) the attached reservation form.

Vendor booths are also available. For information about obtaining a booth contact Andrea James at (415) 974-6422

Earthquake Information Providers (EqIP) and the EQNET

Furthering the goal of earthquake knowledge transfer and dissemination of the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program's (NEHRP) a meeting entitled Earthquake Information Network: A Workshop, took place in early 1996 in Oakland, California. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Information Service for Earthquake Engineering (NISEE) at the University of California's Earthquake Engineering Research Center (EERC) hosted a workshop to establish a national earthquake information network. The workshop gathered together representatives from many of the earthquake information organizations in the U.S., as well as representatives from several of the key groups who use the information, to discuss common needs and ways to integrate their work.

The workshop resulted in the establishment of a steering committee and 11 working groups. Working groups include one for the World Wide Web site -- EQNET -- and another for setting up electronic discussion lists for information providers. Other groups were set up to explore various aspects of information dissemination, such as multimedia and new technologies, full text publishing, bibliographic databases, geographic information systems (GIS), strong motion data, and evaluation of the effectiveness of information services.

In the months following the Workshop, progress has been made on various collaborative efforts. A listserve has been established for the electronic discussion of issues of mutual concern. The World Wide Web site (EQNET) is up and running. On July 7, prior to the Natural Hazards Conference in Denver, Colorado, a follow-up meeting was held, at which time these efforts were reviewed and further plans were developed. The group also took action to formalized its name as the Earthquake Information Providers Group with the acronym of EqIP (pronounced equip). The group plans to meet again in conjunction with the 1996 WSSPC Conference.

The follow is a list of the initial members of this group. Membership is planned to be expanded to other earthquake information providers:
Applied Technology Council (Redwood City, CA)
California Seismic Safety Commission (Sacramento, CA)
California Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (Richmond, CA)
Center for Earthquake Research and Information (Memphis, TN)
Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (Memphis, TN)
Disaster Research Center (Newark, DE)
Earthquake Engineering Research Center, NISEE (Richmond, CA)
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (Oakland, CA)
Earthquake Education Center (Charleston, SC)
FEMA, Region IX (San Francisco, CA)
Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction (Boston, MA)
National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (Buffalo, NY)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (Gaithersburg, MD)
National Science Foundation (Arlington, VA)
Natural Hazards Research Applications and Information Center (Boulder, CO)
NISEE/Cal Tech (Pasadena, CA)
OES Earthquake Project (Oakland, CA)
Seismographic Station, UC/Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)
Southern California Earthquake Center (Los Angeles, CA)
U.S. Geological Survey (Reston, VA)
Western States Seismic Policy Council (San Francisco, CA)

Recent advances in Internet applications have encouraged widespread development of on-line resources, particularly by those agencies and individuals considered information providers. Currently, much effort is going into the development of WWW Home Pages. Almost unanimously, these Web sites offer direct connections to "other Internet resources," allowing users easy access to a multitude of additional Web sites, gophers and FTPs.
In order to best utilize these new developments, EQNET (Earthquake Information Network) was launched this summer. Through its WWW Home Page it plans to provides a more comprehensive selection of linkages than is currently provided by any individual site. Its working group is comprised of volunteers from earthquake information providers throughout the United States. The EQNET Web Site will identify and link to sources of information on earthquake hazards mitigation and related topics. In addition to creating this common resource, the EQNET Web Site Working Group will endeavor to assist the community of earthquake information providers with Web-related support.

Visit the EQNET Home Page at http://www.eqnet.org
or hyperlink to it from the WSSPC Home Page at http://www.wsspc.org.

Portions of the this article were excerpted from the Natural Hazards Observer and the NCEER Bulletin.

WSSPC Strategic Planning

Over the past several months the Western States Seismic Policy Council has undertaken developing a long term strategic plan for the organization. The Board of Directors established a Strategic Planning Committee to set the groundwork and present preliminary findings to the entire membership at the WSSPC Annual Conference in September. Building on the work that has been conducted by WSSPC members in the past, the committee and the Board will be submitting a revised Mission Statement and Objectives for adoption to the WSSPC by-laws. A copy of the suggested changes can be found on page 5 of this newsletter.

The process of strategic planning includes gathering perceptions of both the internal and external stakeholders in the organization. It also evaluates the programs WSSPC currently is undertaking, and considers new programs for the organization to tackle in the future. By looking at critical issues facing WSSPC, the committee and Board will develop strategic options for addressing these concerns. The key to strategic planning is to create a dynamic and evolving work plan that allows for the organization to adapt to an ever-changing environment in order to meet the needs of its members.

Below, are the revised WSSPC Mission Statement and Objectives as approved by the WSSPC Board of Directors. This version will be presented to the WSSPC membership at the WSSPC Annual Conference for amendments and adoption to the by-laws.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Western States Seismic Policy Council is to provide a forum to advance earthquake hazard reduction programs throughout the Western Region and to develop, recommend and support seismic policies and programs for the region through information exchange, research and education.

OBJECTIVES

• Promote regional cooperation and the interaction of the members' Emergency Management Program and Geoscience Program representatives on seismic policy.
• Raise the overall awareness at all levels of earthquake hazards and methods to mitigate these associated risks; develop strategies to enhance earthquake preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery programs, and related activities; and support earthquake studies and earthquake preparedness activities that will reduce or eliminate deaths, injuries and property damage that result from earthquakes.
• Serve as a resource for earthquake related materials, information and activities, in coordination with other regional earthquake organizations.
• Provide advice and counsel to federal agencies on issues and research related to earthquake hazards.
• Sponsor regional and sub-regional research projects and develop funding as required.
• Establish and sponsor WSSPC training programs and related activities.

WSSPC Member State Electronic/Computer Survey Results
Western States Seismic Policy Council conducted a survey of its member states' computer and electronic capabilities in an effort to understand the various agencies' internal capacity for communications and technology transfer. The following are the findings of the survey. For a copy of the full report and recommendations, contact the WSSPC office.

Operating Systems and Software

• Almost all of the agencies use IBM (or IBM clone) computers.
• The most common software programs are Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Lotus 123 and Access.

Computer Internal Cards

• Most agencies have graphics cards in their computers. Approximately half of the agencies have sound and video cards.

Internet Communications

• Nearly all agencies have modems and access to the internet. Most agencies use 14,400 bps modems. Approximately half of the agencies have T1 line access to the internet.
• Almost all of the agencies which have internet access have e-mail accounts and have access to the world wide web.
• Most world wide web users have Netscape Navigator, but some agencies use Mosaic.
• Less than half of the agencies do not utilize File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Gopher or Usenet programs.
• Half of the agencies have their own home page on the world wide web. Most of the remaining agencies have plans to create their own home page. (Visit the WSSPC Home Page for a list of sites - http://www.wsspc.org.)

Agency Publishing

• All WSSPC agencies publish documents. More than half of the agencies publish documents by means other than printed format.
• The most common alternative format is computer diskette. A few agencies publish on CD-ROM, Tape or Direct Computer on-line formats.
• Internet publishing is a growing sector of publishing which agencies are utilizing.

Attention WSSPC Member Agencies: If you are considering purchasing new computer software, contact the WSSPC office and we may be able to give you contacts at other agencies using that software in order to get recommendations.

STRATEGY FOR NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE LOSS REDUCTION

A Look at the National Earthquake Loss Reduction Program

A strategic plan was created by the National Earthquake Strategy Working Group (NESW) after a thorough review of the United States Federal earthquake policy since 1977. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) produced a report summarizing these findings.

The most striking result of NESW is the recommendation to create the National Earthquake Loss Reduction Program (NEP). NEP is seen as a means to improve coordination and cooperation between the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), and other federal agencies involved in earthquake related activities. This will minimize the duplication occurring in this field and focus groups on the priorities.

The NEHRP was created in 1977 after Congress passed the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act. The intent behind NEHRP was to reduce the risk to life and property due to earthquakes by creating and maintaining an effective national earthquake risk reduction program. Member agencies include the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Act's objectives include improving the understanding, characterization, and prediction of hazards and vulnerabilities; improving model building codes and land use practices; reducing risks of earthquakes through post-earthquake investigations and education; development and improvement of design and construction techniques; improving mitigation capacity; and accelerating the application of research results. Agencies of NEHRP have made tremendous advances in terms of our understanding and characterization of earthquake hazards, our preparation for earthquakes and how to mitigate the damaged caused. Unfortunately, the implementation of these findings is greatly lacking and the gap between risk reduction action and expectations based on NEHRP progress is growing.

Since NEHRP was established in 1977 a majority of the funding has been directed towards research and development. The implementation of these findings has been predominantly voluntary outside of the federal government, and as a result, little has been achieved in risk reduction. In 1993 NEHRP was criticized by the Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and eight other bi-partisan Representatives. Their main concerns were NEHRP's lack of a strategic plan, limited coordination and implementation of research results and insufficient emphasis on mitigation. Under the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science and Technology Council the NESW was established to conduct this review in 1994.

This workshop was used to identify the user community's views on priorities and goals for a National Earthquake Loss Reduction Strategy, the level of effort required to meet these goals, and the necessary federal coordinating mechanisms. The result is the development of a strategy that will strengthen NEHRP and mobilize and coordinate numerous federal government programs into a focused National Earthquake Loss Reduction Program (NEP).

NEP was created to fill in the gaps of NEHRP whose aims were too broad and unfocused. This new strategy clearly states its goals in nine important categories:

• Provide leadership and coordination for federal earthquake research
• Improve technology transfer and outreach
• Improve engineering of the built environment
• Improve data for construction standards and codes
• Continue the development of seismic hazards and risk assessment tools
• Analyze seismic hazard mitigation incentives
• Develop understanding of social impacts and responses related to earthquake hazard mitigation
• Analyze the medical and public health consequences of earthquakes
• Continue documentation of earthquakes and their effects

FEMA will lead and coordinate the NEP and will be responsible for managing, planning, reporting, and budget coordinating of the program through the interagency group. NEP is open to all agencies involved in earthquake research or loss mitigation and the interagency group will include representatives of these agencies. FEMA will also be the contact within the federal government for information regarding earthquake research and mitigation and it will help create and direct workshops and other outreach activities to transfer research results to state and local governments and the private sector. The interagency group and FEMA will work with agencies in the earthquake research and mitigation field to formulate priorities and pass them along to federal agencies for program formulation and prevention of duplication.

The specific activities of the interagency group through FEMA will include the following:

• Advocate Program policies and practices
• Coordinate interagency strategic planning
• Recommend Program priorities that do not conflict with agency activities conducted in support of special missions
• Compile the member agencies' annual accounting for earthquake-related program funds
• Encourage and offer guidance to non-federal organizations and consortia in efforts to reduce earthquake losses
• Conduct periodic national forums and develop additional means to include the views; interests, and priorities of non-federal communities in the Program
• Evaluate and report every two years upon Program performance and effectiveness to the President and Congress.

Federal funding for the NEP is presumed to include those funds currently expended on earthquake issues by the NEHRP member agencies. Sponsoring agencies will directly pay for any individual events such as workshops or publications. Non-Federal implementation of earthquake loss mitigation practices is not a direct fiscal responsibility of the program. Most cost decisions need to be made at the state or local government levels or by the private sector.

Implementing mitigation requires a long term investment and takes place over tens of years. NEP's success rest largely in its ability to stimulate actions of these groups to mitigate earthquake hazards. One of NEP's greatest challenges will be to bring implementation up to the same level as earthquake knowledge and research.

Information for this article was excepted from Strategy for National Earthquake Loss Reduction, a publication of the National Earthquake Strategy Working Group and the National Science and Technology Council.

PRINCETON EARTH PHYSICS PROJECT (PEPP)
Fred Naeher, Montana Disaster & Emergency Services Division

The Princeton Earth Physics Project (PEPP), is funded by a National Science Foundation grant via Princeton University and is an IRIS project (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology). IRIS is a consortium of more than 70 U. S. universities. Two western universities are currently involved with the PEPP project. They are the University of Arizona at Tuscon and Oregon State University at Corvallis.

One of the major goals of PEPP is to add value to science programs at schools all over the country. From a seismologist's point of view, the need to involve non-professionals in the process of information gathering is obvious. Also obvious is the lack of information gathering devices and the people to operate them. A public seismic network that involves earth science students and teachers will lessen the problem of information gathering and will be of great assistance to seismologists in their quest to know more about the internal structure of the earth.

This project may be of interest to other states who want to increase their gathering ability using earth science students in public schools. This may be especially true for high seismic risk states with low populations and minimal resources. Interest is very high to incorporate this concept into the earth science curriculum at junior and senior high schools located in seismic zones 3 and 4.

Montana is very interested in establishing a public seismic network through the public school system. Two seismometers from the PEPP project have been ordered and will be field tested in November 1995. The state has asked to be put on PEPP's waiting list to be incorporated into their program in future years.

For more information, contact Dr. Guust Nolet, Princeton University, Department of Geological and Geophysical Sciences; Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544-1003. Phone: 609-258-3583; Fax: 609-258-1274: e-mail: wanat@weasel.princeton.edu.

EQ STATS

NUMBER OF EARTHQUAKES PER YEAR MAGNITUDE 7.0 OR GREATER

1900 - 1989

1900 13 1930 13 1960 22
1901 14 1931 26 1961 18
1902 8 1932 13 1962 15
1903 10 1933 14 1963 20
1904 16 1934 22 1964 15
1905 26 1935 24 1965 22
1906 32 1936 21 1966 19
1907 27 1937 22 1967 16
1908 18 1938 26 1968 30
1909 32 1939 21 1969 27
1910 36 1940 23 1970 29
1911 24 1941 24 1971 23
1912 22 1942 27 1972 20
1913 23 1943* 41 1973 16
1914 22 1944 31 1974 21
1915 18 1945 27 1975 21
1916 25 1946 35 1976$ 25
1917 21 1947 26 1977 16
1918 21 1948 28 1978 18
1919 14 1949 36 1979 15
1920 8 1950 39 1980 18
1921 11 1951 21 1981 14
1922 14 1952 17 1982 10
1923 23 1953 22 1983 15
1924 18 1954 17 1984 8
1925 17 1955 19 1985 15
1926 19 1956 15 1986# 6
1927 20 1957 34 1987 11
1928 22 1958 10 1988 8
1929 19 1959 15 1989 7

Total 1900-1989 = 1822 events = 20 per year

1990 (through July 19)- 10 events

* Most active year since 1900
# Least active year since 1900
$ Year with most people killed since 1900 (295,000 - 699,000;
dominated by the Tangshan quake with casualty estimate from
255,000 - 655,000)

Statistics were compiled from the Earthquake Data Base System of the
U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center, Golden CO