Seismicity in West Virginia and the Region

Updated!
Earthquake epicenter data were compiled from several regional "catalogs". These catalogs consist of seismic event information that have been reviewed by seismologists. Unless otherwise noted, earthquake catalogs do not contain readings from "blast" or other related mining activity.

Earthquake records are divided into two types: "historic" ones which were felt or recorded without sophisticated seismic equipment and "instrumental" ones that have data derived from networks of sophisticated equipment.

The PDF map is layered and interactive! Download the PDF and view in Adobe Acrobat Reader (not a web browser). You can turn off/on features, labels, or text. View what you want and print what you want!

Downloads:

File	Type & Size	Info
WV_Earthquake_Epicenters_20240223.pdf	PDF, 2.81 MB	The map plus 3 pages of basice earthquake listings and information.
West_Virginia_Earthquake_Catalog_202402.xlsx	XLSX, 113 KB	The detailed Microsoft Excel workbook that was used to create the map. It has more information than what is included with the map.
Earthquake_Map_2024.gdb.zip	Zipped GDB, 943 KB	Spatial file: File geodatabase of our Earthquake catalog
Earthquake_Map_Ancillary_Data.gdb.zip	Zipped GDB, 1.23 MB	Spatial File: Auxillary geodatabase of features used in the map.
Earthquake_Map_Layer_Files.zip	Zipped LYR, 8 KB	Spatial File: Layer files to symbolize the earthquake events.
Earthquake_Map_2022_Metadata.zip	Zipped HTML and XML, 108 KB	Metadata (HTML or XML) for the earthquake Events List and Seismic Stations List

Interactive Online Map:

• Interactive online map application via new geologic map, coming soon!
• Access REST feature services to use in your GIS software:
  •    WV Earthquake Instrumental and Historic Epicenters, Seismic Station Locations: https://atlas2.wvgs.wvnet.edu/server/rest/services/Geology/West_Virginia_Earthquakes_and_Seismicity/MapServer

WVGES has an official USGS seismic station with two seismometers on site. Like radio stations with call letters, ours is "MCWV" which is "Mont Chateau West Virginia". Information about the MCWV Station can be found here. As of May 2015, the majority of seismic stations that were part of the Transportable Array Program sponsored by IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) have moved out of West Virginia. Five seismic stations of the original fourteen have been made part of the Central and Eastern United States Network (CEUSN) operated by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California - San Diego. They remain in place and all are currently operational.

View current seismic reading "snapshots" from the links below! Explanation of the signal trace on a seismogram.

♦ Latest report from our seismic station MCWV via USGS here. (USGS Website)
♦ View detailed information for the other five Seismic Stations located across West Virginia here.  

♦ Current and recent seismic helicorder plots via the Virginia Tech Seismic Observatory (VTSO) here
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