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    • NCEI/WDS Natural Hazards Image Database

    Metadata Updated: December 13, 2025

    Photographs and other visual media provide valuable pre- and post-event data for natural hazards. Research, mitigation, and forecasting rely on visual data for post-analysis, inundation mapping and historic records. Instrumental data only reveal a portion of the whole story; photographs explicitly illustrate the physical and societal impacts from an event. This resource provides high-resolution geologic and damage photographs from natural hazards events, including earthquakes, tsunamis, slides, volcanic eruptions and geologic movement (faults, creep, subsidence and flows). The earliest images date back to 1867. Each event also links to NCEI's Global Historical hazards databases, which provide details for these events.

    Access & Use Information

    License: No license information was provided. If this work was prepared by an officer or employee of the United States government as part of that person's official duties it is considered a U.S. Government Work.

    Downloads & Resources

    Dates

    Metadata Date December 5, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 31, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date December 13, 2025
    Reference Date(s) February 1, 2012 (publication)
    Frequency Of Update irregular

    Metadata Source

    Harvested from NGDC Collection

    Other Data Resources

    Graphic Preview

    Tsunami carried boat associated with the February 2010 Maule, Chile Earthquake and Tsunami.

    Additional Metadata

    Resource Type Series
    Metadata Date December 5, 2025
    Metadata Created Date October 31, 2024
    Metadata Updated Date December 13, 2025
    Reference Date(s) February 1, 2012 (publication)
    Responsible Party (Point of Contact); NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (Point of Contact)
    Contact Email
    Guid gov.noaa.ngdc:Hazard_Images_Database
    Access Constraints Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives., Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose, Cite as: National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS). 2012: NCEI/WDS Natural Hazards Image Database. First. https://doi.org/10.7289/V5154F01. Accessed [date]., Access to this dataset is unrestricted.
    Bbox East Long 180
    Bbox North Lat 90
    Bbox South Lat -90
    Bbox West Long -180
    Coupled Resource
    Frequency Of Update irregular
    Graphic Preview Description Tsunami carried boat associated with the February 2010 Maule, Chile Earthquake and Tsunami.
    Graphic Preview File https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazard/data/icons/tsunami_carried_boat_2010feb.jpg
    Graphic Preview Type JPEG
    Harvest Object Id 9f4a9ff4-0856-4460-abe7-00a1751a21e6
    Harvest Source Id 5088829e-ee94-4daf-8d22-e38f5358f506
    Harvest Source Title NGDC Collection
    Licence
    Lineage The first images were probably collected in the 1970s. It is one of the oldest collections at National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC). Photographs showing the effects of natural hazards increase awareness and are useful for education.
    Metadata Language
    Metadata Type geospatial
    Old Spatial {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[-180.0, -90.0], [180.0, -90.0], [180.0, 90.0], [-180.0, 90.0], [-180.0, -90.0]]]}
    Progress onGoing
    Spatial Data Service Type
    Spatial Reference System
    Spatial Harvester True
    Temporal Extent Begin 1867

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