Searching the ISC Bulletin

https://doi.org/10.31905/D808B830

To search the ISC Bulletin, there is a standard 'Bulletin search' page. Additional search pages provide access to specific datasets within the Bulletin.

Each search page has the option to define a search region using a Google Maps interface on an interactive page.

The ISC also provides a web services page, to provide guidance on constructing URLs manually, to help access data without a browser i.e. through a programming interface. The results may be streamed to the user using QuakeML (XML format) to simplify the parsing of data.

Bulletin search

The Bulletin search may be used to output a bulletin of event data using IASPEI Seismic Format or QuakeML. These data include:
  • hypocentres - both the prime (preferred) origin and secondary estimates;
  • focal mechanism solutions;
  • magnitudes;
  • phase/arrival data.

Event catalogue

Outputs a catalogue of events from the ISC Bulletin as either a CSV file (one line per event) or a QuakeML stream:
  • only the prime (preferred) hypocentre for an event is output;
  • magnitudes for events may be limited to specific authors (e.g. ISC, NEIC, GCMT).

Arrivals

Searches the ISC Bulletin for arrival (phase) data by station(s) and events. The search outputs the arrivals as either a CSV file (one arrival per line), in IMS1.0 'associated:arrivals' format, or QuakeML. Searches may limit data to only include arrivals with:
  • specific phase names (e.g. P, PKPdf, S etc.);
  • arrival-times (N.b. amplitude data do not always have arrival-times);
  • travel-time residuals (from ak135);
  • time-defining phases - phases used in the computation of the prime hypocentre;
  • amplitudes.

Focal mechanism solutions

Searches the ISC Bulletin for focal mechanism solutions. The search outputs the results as either a CSV file (one focal mechanism solution per line), or as a QuakeML stream. Results include:
  • scalar moments (and Mw);
  • moment tensor components;
  • nodal planes (i.e. strike, dip and rake);
  • principal axes;
  • hypocentre parameters for each focal mechanism solution.
Focal mechanism solutions may also be limited to specific authors e.g. GCMT/HRVD, NEIC, etc.