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Collect
Recent earthquakes are imported from USGS GeoJSON feeds. Historical M4.5+ records are progressively imported through the FDSN Event Web Service.
DATA · TRANSPARENCY · LIMITATIONS
How Quake Pulse builds its earthquake observatory
Quake Pulse is designed as an independent interface for exploring public earthquake observations. This page explains where the data comes from, how it is stored and transformed, what the statistics mean, and where the limits of interpretation begin.
Database events207 439
Data freshness5 min
Live refresh5 min
Languages5
From USGS observation to a public page
The public website is generated from a local database rather than querying the USGS every time a visitor opens a page.
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Normalize
Magnitude, depth, coordinates, time, network, event status, felt reports and other useful fields are stored in a consistent local schema.
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Preserve revisions
An earthquake solution can evolve after its first publication. Quake Pulse stores observed revisions so that magnitude, depth or status changes are not silently erased.
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Aggregate
Daily totals, magnitude bands, regional counts and other summaries are calculated locally to keep public pages fast and consistent.
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Publish selectively
All imported events can be explored, but only sufficiently useful event pages are intended for search-engine indexation. This reduces thin programmatic pages.
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Explain uncertainty
Quake Pulse displays observations and derived statistics. It does not forecast the time, place or magnitude of future earthquakes.
Which data does Quake Pulse use?
The primary source is the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Hazards Program and the seismic networks contributing to its catalog. For the recent period, Quake Pulse imports the complete daily, weekly and monthly GeoJSON feeds. For long-term historical analysis, the site maintains a growing M4.5+ catalog. This distinction matters: the recent counters contain many small local events, while the long historical dataset uses a higher magnitude threshold for better comparability and manageable storage.
Why can an earthquake change after publication?
The first published location, magnitude or depth may be an automatic solution based on the stations available at that moment. More waveforms, station readings and scientific review can refine the event. Quake Pulse therefore treats an earthquake as a record that may be revised, not as an immutable line of data. When the source timestamp changes, the new solution is stored and the public page can show that evolution.
Magnitude, depth and felt shaking are different concepts
Magnitude estimates the size of the seismic source; it is not a direct measure of damage at every location. Depth is the distance below the Earth’s surface where the rupture is located. Felt shaking depends on many additional factors including distance, local geology, building characteristics and the propagation of seismic waves. Two earthquakes with similar magnitudes can therefore produce very different experiences at the surface.
How are the 24-hour, 7-day and 30-day numbers calculated?
Recent counters are based on the complete recent feeds imported into the local database. The website compares each event timestamp with the current UTC time. The 24-hour, 7-day and 30-day windows are rolling periods rather than fixed calendar days. Historical totals shown elsewhere can use the M4.5+ archive and should not be compared directly with the all-magnitude recent counters without reading the label and context.
How geographic pages are built
An event includes coordinates and a textual location supplied by the seismic catalog. Quake Pulse first tests the coordinates against an offline country-boundary dataset. For selected offshore events, a cautious USGS place-text fallback is used. Subnational hubs are created only when the reference locality can be matched to an ISO subdivision with sufficient confidence, and recurring USGS reference localities can power nearby-event pages. Geographic labels are browsing aids, not official hazard zoning or detailed tectonic interpretation.
Why historical earthquake counts require caution
Seismic monitoring has improved dramatically. Modern networks are denser, more sensitive and faster than networks operating decades ago. Consequently, a rise in the number of small earthquakes present in a catalog can reflect improved detection rather than a physical increase in global earthquake occurrence. Long-term comparisons are more meaningful when a sufficiently high magnitude threshold and a stable geographic scope are used.
Search-engine indexation policy
Quake Pulse deliberately separates data availability from search-engine indexation. A small event can appear in maps and lists without needing its own indexable search result. Event pages become stronger candidates for indexation when magnitude, significance, felt reports, tsunami information or other useful signals cross defined thresholds. The objective is to make programmatic pages genuinely useful rather than multiplying near-empty URLs.
No earthquake prediction
Nothing on Quake Pulse should be interpreted as a prediction or an emergency warning service. Statistical changes, clusters and recent activity do not establish that a larger earthquake is imminent. For official alerts, emergency instructions and local hazard information, users should follow the competent national and local authorities.
How the Quake Pulse Activity Index works
The index compares the latest 30 days of M4.5+ activity with up to 60 complete historical months for the same geographic scope.
The score is the percentile rank of the current 30-day count. A score of 60 means the current period is above roughly 60% of comparable historical months.
The baseline uses M4.5+ events because long-term detection of smaller earthquakes is less consistent across regions and decades.
The indicator describes relative activity only. It does not estimate probability, predict a larger earthquake or replace official alerts.
How local pages work
Quake Pulse calculates great-circle distance between the locality coordinates and each earthquake epicentre. The local page does not imply that a city experienced shaking, damage or risk at the same level as the epicentre.
Within 50 km
Within 100 km
Within 250 km
Earthquake impact & context
These indicators describe data available after detection. They are neither a forecast nor a direct estimate of damage or individual risk.
Descriptive indicators available for this event and its surroundings.
Displayed population is the indexed city population, not an estimate of people exposed.
Context score · These indicators describe data available after detection. They are neither a forecast nor a direct estimate of damage or individual risk.
Frequently asked questions
Is Quake Pulse an official USGS website?
No. Quake Pulse is an independent project using public seismic data and clearly attributes its primary source.
Does a high number of earthquakes mean a major event is coming?
No. A temporary increase in detected activity cannot by itself predict a future large earthquake.
Why do recent counters include many tiny earthquakes?
The complete recent feeds include small events detected by dense regional networks, especially in well-monitored areas.
Why does the historical database focus on M4.5+?
A higher threshold gives a more manageable and more internationally comparable long-term catalog than attempting to treat every small local detection equally.
Blog
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Guides, explainers and practical reading to go beyond the live data.
Magnitude, depth and shaking: why two earthquakes of the same size can feel completely different
Magnitude is only one part of the story. Depth, distance, local ground conditions and building vulnerability help explain why shaking can differ so much from one earthquake to another.
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Earthquake-resistant building standards: what safer structures are actually designed to do
Earthquake-resistant design is not about making buildings immovable. It is about controlling forces, deformation and failure so people have a much better chance of staying safe.
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Earthquake early warning: how a few seconds can help, and why it is not a prediction
Early-warning systems detect an earthquake after it starts and try to send an alert before the strongest shaking arrives. The difference between warning and prediction matters.
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