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What is SHARE?
SHARE is the Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe project: an EU Seventh Framework Programme collaboration of geologists, seismologists and engineers who built a community-based probabilistic seismic hazard model for the Euro-Mediterranean region. It ran as a project and ended in 2013, but its main output — the 2013 Euro-Mediterranean Seismic Hazard Model (ESHM13) — remains a reference point for cross-border hazard assessment.
What it produced
- More than sixty time-independent ground-motion hazard maps, covering spectral ordinates from PGA to 4 seconds and annual exceedance probabilities from 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁴.
- Hazard values referenced to rock with vS30 = 800 m/s.
- A model combining area sources, active faults and smoothed background seismicity, including events of magnitude Mw ≥ 4.5.
- A weighting scheme that gives more influence to geological data over long time horizons and to seismological data over short ones.
Who it is useful for
- Researchers and national agencies needing a harmonised, multi-country hazard baseline rather than a patchwork of national maps.
- Engineers and risk analysts who want a consistent input for comparing hazard across borders.
- Students or communicators looking for official posters, brochures and documentation explaining European seismic hazard.
Practical notes
The project page is an archive rather than a live service, so treat it as a source of documentation and citation rather than an interactive data portal. For current models and outreach material, the project points to EFEHR. If you need a starting point, check the citation guidance on the SHARE page before reusing maps or data, since the recommended references differ for the project overall and for ESHM13 specifically.
How can I access the seismic hazard data produced by SHARE?
Access the SHARE results through the project's data portal, then use the published model documentation to interpret them correctly.
SHARE (Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe) ended in 2013, but its main output—the 2013 Euro-Mediterranean Seismic Hazard Model (ESHM13)—remains available. The project site links to a dedicated portal for data access, and the underlying models and results are described in peer-reviewed publications.
What the data covers
- More than sixty time-independent ground-motion hazard maps
- Spectral ordinates from PGA up to 4 seconds
- Annual exceedance probabilities from 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁴
- Reference rock velocity of vs30 = 800 m/s
- Earthquakes modelled as area sources, active faults and smoothed background seismicity, including events with MW ≥ 4.5
Practical access routes
- Use the SHARE Portal data access page for the model outputs.
- Check the official outreach and documentation pages for posters, brochures and model overviews.
- Cite the correct sources: Giardini, Woessner & Danciu (2014) for the project overview, and Woessner, Danciu, Giardini and the SHARE consortium (2015) for ESHM13 model details.
A concrete example
An engineer screening a site in southern Europe could download the relevant hazard map, note the spectral ordinate and exceedance probability needed for the project, and then compare the ESHM13 value with any national hazard map. Because ESHM13 is a regional harmonized model, it is well suited to cross-border comparisons and long-horizon planning, but national maps may include more local detail or newer data.
Decision criterion
Choose ESHM13 when you need a consistent, transparent, peer-reviewed basis for comparing hazard across countries. Check whether a newer national or European model exists if your project requires the most current data, since SHARE itself ended in 2013.
For official documentation and model overviews, see EFEHR.
What is the difference between ESHM13 and other seismic hazard models?
ESHM13 is the 2013 Euro-Mediterranean Seismic Hazard Model produced by the SHARE project, which ended in 2013. Its main distinguishing feature is that it was built as a single, community-based model for the whole Euro-Mediterranean region, rather than as a patchwork of separate national or local models. According to the project's own description, it was assembled through extensive expert elicitation and multiple rounds of community feedback, with the explicit aim of setting new standards in probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) practice.
What makes ESHM13 different
- Cross-border, harmonized coverage. National hazard maps often stop at borders and use different assumptions. ESHM13 was designed to integrate data and methods across national borders into one consistent regional framework.
- Multi-disciplinary input. It combined geology, seismology and earthquake engineering, compiling earthquake and fault data from many sources rather than relying on a single data type or agency.
- A published, citable model. It is documented in peer-reviewed literature, including Woessner et al. (2015) on the model's key components and results, and Giardini et al. (2014) on mapping Europe's seismic hazard. That makes it easier to compare methods and reproduce results than an undocumented national map.
- Input-data weighting by time horizon. ESHM13 uses a weighting scheme that reflects the time horizon of each input dataset, emphasizing geological knowledge for longer time horizons and seismological data for shorter ones. This is a deliberate methodological choice that many single-country models do not make explicit.
- Scale of output. The model consists of more than sixty time-independent ground-motion hazard maps for spectral ordinates from PGA to 4 seconds, with exceedance probabilities from 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁴ yearly probability, referenced to a rock velocity of Vs30 = 800 m/s. It includes earthquakes modelled as area sources, active faults and smoothed background seismicity, and includes all events with magnitudes Mw ≥ 4.5.
How to think about the comparison
The practical difference depends on what you need:
| Need | ESHM13 is a good fit when… | A national or local model may be better when… |
|---|---|---|
| Regional consistency | You are comparing hazard across several countries or planning cross-border infrastructure | You need the officially adopted map for a single country's building code |
| Methodological transparency | You want a documented, peer-reviewed, community-vetted model | You need the most recent local data or a regulatory-specific product |
| Long return periods | You are interested in long time horizons where geological evidence is weighted more heavily | You need short-horizon operational or site-specific assessments |
A caveat: ESHM13 dates from 2013, so it does not incorporate earthquakes, fault studies or methodological advances after that point. For current regulatory or engineering decisions, check whether a newer national or European model supersedes it.
Next step
If you are deciding which model to use, start by identifying the return period and spectral ordinate your project requires, then check whether your national authority mandates a specific map. The SHARE project's own outreach materials, including its official poster and brochures, are hosted by the European Facilities for Earthquake Hazard and Risk at EFEHR, which is the natural place to check for the model's documentation and any successor products.
How do I properly cite the SHARE project or ESHM13 data in my research?
Cite the SHARE project and its ESHM13 model separately: use the project paper for the overall initiative and the model paper for the hazard maps and data.
Project citation (SHARE itself): Giardini, D., Woessner, J., & Danciu, L. (2014). Mapping Europe's Seismic Hazard. EOS, 95(29), 261–262.
ESHM13 models and results: Woessner, J., Danciu, L., Giardini, D., & the SHARE consortium (2015). The 2013 European Seismic Hazard Model: key components and results. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering. doi:10.1007/s10518-015-9795-1
When to use which
- Cite the 2014 EOS paper when you refer to the SHARE project as a whole, its scope, or its community-based approach to seismic hazard assessment.
- Cite the 2015 Woessner et al. paper when you use or discuss ESHM13 hazard maps, the ground-motion values, or the model's components (area sources, active faults, background seismicity).
- Cite both if you use ESHM13 data and also want to acknowledge the broader project framework.
Practical points for your reference list
- The ESHM13 model covers the Euro-Mediterranean region, with hazard values referenced to a rock velocity of vs30 = 800 m/s, magnitudes Mw ≥ 4.5, and spectral ordinates from PGA to 4 seconds.
- If your journal requires a data citation, check whether the SHARE portal or the EFEHR documentation page lists a preferred dataset citation or DOI for the maps themselves; the two papers above are the standard references, but the data access point may have its own recommended format.
- For outreach or background material, the project's official poster and brochures are hosted at EFEHR under its specific hazard models for Europe.
Next step
Open the ESHM13 data access page you used, note the exact version and access date, and add those to your citation if the repository recommends it. Then match each citation to the specific claim in your text — project-level statements to Giardini et al. (2014), model or map values to Woessner et al. (2015).
Can I use ESHM13 results for earthquake engineering design or risk assessment?
Yes, with conditions. ESHM13 is a regional, community-based probabilistic seismic hazard model for the Euro-Mediterranean region, so it is a reasonable starting point for both engineering design studies and risk assessment—but it is not, by itself, a design code or a site-specific investigation.
What ESHM13 gives you
- More than sixty time-independent ground-motion hazard maps, for spectral ordinates from PGA up to 4 seconds and annual exceedance probabilities from 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁴.
- Hazard values referenced to rock with vS30 = 800 m/s.
- A model combining area sources, active faults and smoothed background seismicity, including events of Mw ≥ 4.5.
- A weighting scheme that favours geological input for long return periods and seismological data for short ones.
Where it fits
| Use case | Suitability | Why |
|---|---|---|
| National/regional seismic hazard screening | Good | Consistent, cross-border framework and harmonised input data |
| Input to probabilistic risk models (portfolio, insurance, infrastructure) | Good, with local adjustment | Provides a uniform hazard basis across countries |
| Code-based design at a specific site | Partial | Usually needs national annexes, site amplification and local fault data |
| Critical facilities, dams, nuclear or long-return-period studies | Partial | Requires site-specific PSHA and independent review |
Practical cautions
- The reference rock condition (vS30 = 800 m/s) means you must apply your own site amplification for softer soils; do not read map values as surface ground motion.
- ESHM13 is time-independent. If your project depends on time-dependent probabilities or fault-specific recurrence, you need additional modelling.
- National building codes and their national annexes take precedence in design; ESHM13 is best treated as a harmonised regional reference, not a replacement.
- The project ended in 2013, so check whether newer European models or national updates supersede it for your region.
Next step Decide first whether you need a regional or a site-specific answer. For a regional screening or a first-pass risk model, download the ESHM13 hazard data and documentation from the SHARE portal, then apply your site conditions. For design of a specific structure, use ESHM13 to frame the hazard level and then commission or consult a site-specific PSHA that incorporates local geology, fault sources and code requirements. The European Facilities for Earthquake Hazard and Risk provides related documentation and model overviews at EFEHR.
Where can I find outreach materials or documentation about SHARE's seismic hazard maps?
SHARE's own outreach materials and technical documentation are hosted on the European Facilities for Earthquake Hazard and Risk (EFEHR) platform, not on the project site itself. The project page at SHARE points visitors to the EFEHR documentation section for the official poster, brochures and the European hazard model overview. That is the first place to look if you want a summary you can hand to a non-specialist, or a citable description of the 2013 Euro-Mediterranean Seismic Hazard Model (ESHM13).
What you can expect to find there
- Outreach items: the project poster and brochures, aimed at planners, civil-protection staff and journalists who need the headline message rather than the method.
- Model documentation: descriptions of ESHM13, which covers more than sixty time-independent ground-motion hazard maps across spectral ordinates from PGA to 4 seconds and annual exceedance probabilities from 10⁻¹ to 10⁻⁴, referenced to rock with vS30 = 800 m/s.
- Data access: the SHARE portal linked from the project menu, for users who need the underlying hazard values rather than a narrative summary.
If you need to cite the work formally
The project page gives two references. For a short, accessible overview of the mapping effort, Giardini, Woessner and Danciu (2014), "Mapping Europe's Seismic Hazard," EOS 95(29): 261–262 is the practical choice. For the technical basis of the model itself, use Woessner, Danciu, Giardini and the SHARE consortium (2015) in the Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering.
A quick way to decide where to start
| Your need | Best starting point |
|---|---|
| Plain-language summary for a report or briefing | Poster and brochures via EFEHR |
| Method, inputs and weighting scheme | ESHM13 model documentation and the 2015 paper |
| Hazard values for your own analysis | SHARE portal data access |
| Academic citation | The EOS or Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering references |
Note that SHARE ended in 2013, so these materials describe a fixed model rather than a live service; for anything more recent, check whether EFEHR hosts a successor model. If you tell me whether your audience is technical or general, I can suggest which single item to open first.
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