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Overview

The Seismology Service provides APIs for earthquake monitoring data sourced from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Access real-time seismic event data including magnitude, depth, location, and occurrence time. Base Path: /api/seismology/v1

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ListEarthquakes

Retrieves recent earthquakes from the USGS GeoJSON feed. Endpoint: GET /api/seismology/v1/list-earthquakes

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Request Parameters

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start
integer
required
Start of time range (inclusive), Unix epoch milliseconds.
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end
integer
required
End of time range (inclusive), Unix epoch milliseconds.
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page_size
integer
Maximum items per page (1-100).
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cursor
string
Cursor for next page.
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min_magnitude
number
Minimum magnitude filter (e.g., 4.0 for significant quakes).

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Response

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earthquakes
array
The list of earthquakes.
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pagination
object
Pagination metadata with cursor for next page.

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Example Request

curl -X GET "https://api.worldmonitor.com/api/seismology/v1/list-earthquakes?start=1704067200000&end=1706745599999&min_magnitude=5.0&page_size=20"

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Example Response

{
  "earthquakes": [
    {
      "id": "us7000m9xa",
      "place": "52 km SSE of Amukta Island, Alaska",
      "magnitude": 5.8,
      "depth_km": 35.2,
      "location": {
        "latitude": 52.1234,
        "longitude": -171.5678
      },
      "occurred_at": 1705334400000,
      "source_url": "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000m9xa"
    },
    {
      "id": "us7000m9xb",
      "place": "15 km NW of Honshu, Japan",
      "magnitude": 6.2,
      "depth_km": 10.0,
      "location": {
        "latitude": 37.8912,
        "longitude": 138.2345
      },
      "occurred_at": 1705320000000,
      "source_url": "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000m9xb"
    },
    {
      "id": "us7000m9xc",
      "place": "Papua New Guinea region",
      "magnitude": 5.4,
      "depth_km": 55.8,
      "location": {
        "latitude": -5.4567,
        "longitude": 153.2345
      },
      "occurred_at": 1705305600000,
      "source_url": "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000m9xc"
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "cursor": "eyJvZmZzZXQiOjIwfQ==",
    "has_more": true
  }
}

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Magnitude Scale Reference

Minor (< 4.0)

Usually not felt, but can be recorded by seismographs.

Light (4.0 - 4.9)

Often felt but rarely causes damage.

Moderate (5.0 - 5.9)

Can cause damage to poorly constructed buildings.

Strong (6.0 - 6.9)

Can cause significant damage in populated areas.

Major (7.0 - 7.9)

Can cause serious damage over larger areas.

Great (8.0+)

Can cause devastating damage over very large areas.

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Data Source

Earthquake data is sourced from:
  • USGS: United States Geological Survey
  • GeoJSON Feed: Real-time earthquake data feed
  • Updates every minute with new seismic events
  • Global coverage with magnitude 2.5+ events
  • Includes aftershocks and preliminary reports

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Use Cases

Monitor seismic activity in real-time to coordinate emergency response efforts and assess infrastructure damage risk.
Analyze earthquake frequency and magnitude patterns to assess seismic risk for insurance, construction, and investment decisions.
Access comprehensive seismic data for geological research, plate tectonics studies, and earthquake prediction models.
Track earthquakes near critical infrastructure such as nuclear facilities, dams, pipelines, and data centers.

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