Preface to Focus Section “Past and Present of Historical Earthquake Data and Research”

Abstract

The proposal of this focus section was supported by the strong conviction that it was time for an attempt to put together an up-to-date state of data and research of historical seismology, the branch of study that is rooted in the retrieval and analysis of written documents supplying records of earthquake effects. Furthermore, research methods and tools have changed with the full advent of the digital era, and new challenges have arisen for scientists working in this field. The response was larger in number and more extended in space than the editors expected. The 21 articles of this focus section touch on and enhance different aspects and characteristics of the research of earthquake data. They also present recent results achieved in studies of earthquakes from medieval times to the twentieth century in more than 10 countries distributed in South, Central, and North America, Far and Southeast Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean. Brief summaries of the articles are presented in the following, grouped in a few large categories, according to the main focus of the articles as chosen by their own authors.