Conservation and Utilization of Historical Seismograms from Early Stage (A.D. 1904–1948), Mainland China

Abstract

Abstract The history of seismographic observation in the first half of the twentieth century on the Chinese mainland can be divided into three eras. The first era was from 1904 to 1929 when there were some seismographic stations that were built in Mainland China by foreigners. The second era started from 1930 when the stations near Beijing and in Nanjing were built by the Chinese. Advanced seismographic instruments were purchased from abroad, including Wiechert instruments with the heaviest pendulum of 17,000 kg. The development of Chinese seismic observation was disrupted by the Japan invasion and war in 1937. The third era was during a time of war, from 1937 to 1948. The historical changes of seismographic stations and relevant instruments are introduced in this article. Recent effects to preserve the early historical seismograms by means of microfiches and scanning are illustrated. The contribution of these historical seismograms to the compilation of Chinese earthquake catalogs is analyzed. The deficiencies of seismogram utilization and digitalization are pointed out. Future work is proposed.