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Fetches earthquake events at or deeper than a specified depth threshold. This endpoint is ideal for studying shallow vs deep earthquakes and analyzing crustal vs subduction zone events.

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Endpoint

Method: GET
Path: /v1/earthquakes/depth
Authentication: Not required

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Parameters

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depth
number
required
Minimum depth in kilometers. Returns earthquakes with depth >= this value.Validation:
  • Must be a positive number > 0
  • Returns 400 error if missing: “The depth parameter is required and must be a positive number greater than 0”
  • Returns 400 error if invalid: “The depth parameter must be a positive number greater than 0”
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page
integer
default:"1"
Page number for pagination. Must be a positive integer greater than 0.Validation:
  • Must be > 0
  • Returns 400 error if invalid
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limit
integer
default:"50"
Number of results per page. Must be a positive integer greater than 0.Validation:
  • Must be > 0
  • Returns 400 error if invalid
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sort
string
default:"-time"
Sort order for results. Prefix with - for descending order.Allowed values:
  • time or -time (default: descending)
  • magnitude or -magnitude
  • depth or -depth
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fields
string
Comma-separated list of fields to include in response.Allowed values:
  • time
  • magnitude
  • depth
  • place
  • coordinates

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Request Example

# Shallow earthquakes (≤10km deep)
curl "https://api.terraquakeapi.com/v1/earthquakes/depth?depth=10"

# Intermediate depth earthquakes (≥70km deep)
curl "https://api.terraquakeapi.com/v1/earthquakes/depth?depth=70&limit=100"

# Deep earthquakes (≥300km deep)
curl "https://api.terraquakeapi.com/v1/earthquakes/depth?depth=300"

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Response

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success
boolean
Indicates if the request was successful
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code
integer
HTTP status code (200 for success)
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status
string
HTTP status message (“OK” for success)
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message
string
Human-readable message. Format: “Earthquake events with depth > km”
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payload
array
Array of GeoJSON Feature objects. Depth is stored in geometry.coordinates[2] (third element of coordinates array)
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meta
object
Request metadata containing method, path, and timestamp
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totalEarthquakes
integer
Total count of earthquakes at or deeper than specified depth
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pagination
object
Pagination details with page, totalPages, limit, and hasMore

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Response Example

{
  "success": true,
  "code": 200,
  "status": "OK",
  "message": "Earthquake events with depth > 10 km",
  "payload": [
    {
      "type": "Feature",
      "properties": {
        "eventId": 44278572,
        "originId": 140102761,
        "time": "2025-09-26T19:33:46.440000",
        "author": "SURVEY-INGV",
        "magType": "ML",
        "mag": 1,
        "magAuthor": "--",
        "type": "earthquake",
        "place": "Costa Calabra sud-orientale (Reggio di Calabria)",
        "version": 100,
        "geojson_creationTime": "2025-11-06T00:52:30"
      },
      "geometry": {
        "type": "Point",
        "coordinates": [16.2387, 37.9982, 10.5]
      }
    }
  ],
  "meta": {
    "method": "GET",
    "path": "/v1/earthquakes/depth?depth=10&limit=100",
    "timestamp": "2025-11-06T01:00:00.000Z"
  },
  "totalEarthquakes": 3421,
  "pagination": {
    "page": 1,
    "totalPages": 35,
    "limit": 100,
    "hasMore": true
  }
}

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Error Responses

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Missing Depth Parameter

{
  "success": false,
  "code": 400,
  "status": "Bad Request",
  "message": "The depth parameter is required and must be a positive number greater than 0"
}

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Invalid Depth Value

{
  "success": false,
  "code": 400,
  "status": "Bad Request",
  "message": "The depth parameter must be a positive number greater than 0"
}

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Invalid Limit Parameter

{
  "success": false,
  "code": 400,
  "status": "Bad Request",
  "message": "The limit parameter must be a positive integer greater than 0. Example: ?limit=50"
}

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Implementation Details

  • Filter Logic: feature.geometry.coordinates[2] >= depthValue
  • Depth Location: Third element of GeoJSON coordinates array (index 2)
  • Date Range: From start of current year to today
  • Filtering: Applied after fetching all events from INGV (client-side filtering)
  • Sorting: Default sort is by time (most recent first: -time)
  • Pagination: Manual pagination applied after depth filtering
  • Coordinate Format: [longitude, latitude, depth in km]

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Earthquake Depth Classification

Shallow

0-70 kmMost common type. Occur in Earth’s crust. Can cause significant damage due to proximity to surface.

Intermediate

70-300 kmOccur in subduction zones. Less common but can still be felt at surface.

Deep

300-700 kmOccur in subduction zones. Rare and typically less damaging at surface.

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Use Cases

  • Studying crustal vs subduction zone earthquakes
  • Analyzing tectonic plate interactions
  • Research on earthquake mechanisms
  • Identifying shallow earthquakes with higher damage potential
  • Seismological studies on Earth’s interior structure

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Example Queries

# Very shallow earthquakes (crustal)
curl "https://api.terraquakeapi.com/v1/earthquakes/depth?depth=5"

# Shallow to intermediate boundary
curl "https://api.terraquakeapi.com/v1/earthquakes/depth?depth=70"

# Deep earthquakes only
curl "https://api.terraquakeapi.com/v1/earthquakes/depth?depth=300"

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