Overview
Requests pull seismic records refreshed hourly from the United States Geological Survey. The endpoint outputs events from the previous hour with magnitudes, coordinates, and tsunami indicators, leaving alert levels null if unassigned. It also provides rolling 24-hour counts and peak magnitudes, while paid plans add the 24-hour average magnitude. The last 30 UTC days are stored as daily summaries, so paid plans also get the 7- and 30-day earthquake counts, the average per day, the number of M4.5+ quakes, and the largest quake of the week and month with its location and time; daily=true returns one row per day.
Live Test Worldwide Earthquakes API →
Endpoint
One host, one path per API. The block below shows this call in four languages; every one of them is the same HTTP request. Making requests covers the timeouts, retries and parameter rules that apply to all of them. The SDKs wrap the same call in a typed client.
curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/earthquake?period=day&minMagnitude=2.5&lat=34.05&lon=-118.24&radius=250&daily=true" \
-H "x-api-key: your_api_key_here"const res = await fetch('https://api.apiverve.com/v1/earthquake?period=day&minMagnitude=2.5&lat=34.05&lon=-118.24&radius=250&daily=true', {
headers: { 'x-api-key': 'your_api_key_here' },
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);import requests
res = requests.get(
"https://api.apiverve.com/v1/earthquake?period=day&minMagnitude=2.5&lat=34.05&lon=-118.24&radius=250&daily=true",
headers={"x-api-key": "your_api_key_here"},
timeout=15,
)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json()["data"])package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
)
func main() {
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/earthquake?period=day&minMagnitude=2.5&lat=34.05&lon=-118.24&radius=250&daily=true", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "your_api_key_here")
res, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
defer res.Body.Close()
out, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(out))
}Replace your_api_key_here with the key from your dashboard. When the inputs arrive as a list rather than one at a time, batch requests run up to 200 of them through this same API in a single call.
Authentication
Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — there is no token exchange and no per-endpoint scope to configure. Authentication covers creating, rotating and revoking keys.
401 is the only auth verdict
A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.
Parameters
Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
periodOptionalPremium | string | Time window: hour (the past hour) or day (the past 24 hours)hourdaydefault hour |
minMagnitudeOptional | number | Only return earthquakes of at least this magnitude range -2–10 |
latOptionalPremium | number | Latitude to search around. With lon, returns only earthquakes within radius km, nearest first, each with distanceKm range -90–90 |
lonOptionalPremium | number | Longitude to search around (use with lat) range -180–180 |
radiusOptionalPremium | number | Search radius in kilometers around lat/lon default 500 · range 1–20000 |
dailyOptionalPremium | boolean | Include one row per UTC day for the last 30 days: event count, largest magnitude and M4.5+ count |
Response
Every API returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape. Response format covers the envelope, the other output formats and how premium fields are withheld.
{
"status": "ok",
"error": null,
"data": {
"earthquakes_LastUpdated": "2026-10-26T20:35:55.000Z",
"earthquakes_LastHour": 7,
"count24h": 200,
"largestMagnitude24h": 5.5,
"avgMagnitude24h": 1.74,
"count7d": 1889,
"count30d": 9917,
"avgDailyCount30d": 335.3,
"m45Count30d": 735,
"largestMagnitude7d": 7,
"largestMagnitude30d": 7.7,
"largestPlace30d": "12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama",
"largestTime30d": 1791568566036,
"daysStored": 30,
"period": "day",
"count": 2,
"earthquakes": [
{
"mag": 1.63,
"place": "2 km NW of Sylmar, CA",
"time": 1792978838050,
"felt": null,
"cdi": null,
"mmi": null,
"alert": null,
"status": "reviewed",
"tsunami": 0,
"sig": 41,
"net": "ci",
"types": ",focal-mechanism,nearby-cities,origin,phase-data,scitech-link,",
"nst": 56,
"dmin": 0.04284,
"rms": 0.27,
"gap": 34,
"magType": "ml",
"type": "earthquake",
"title": "M 1.6 - 2 km NW of Sylmar, CA",
"coordinates": [
-118.464666666667,
34.3231666666667
],
"depthKm": 4.21,
"id": "ci41352567",
"url": "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41352567",
"distanceKm": 37
},
{
"mag": 1.28,
"place": "1 km WNW of Anaheim, CA",
"time": 1792989969550,
"felt": null,
"cdi": null,
"mmi": null,
"alert": null,
"status": "automatic",
"tsunami": 0,
"sig": 25,
"net": "ci",
"types": ",nearby-cities,origin,phase-data,",
"nst": 59,
"dmin": 0.03761,
"rms": 0.24,
"gap": 55,
"magType": "ml",
"type": "earthquake",
"title": "M 1.3 - 1 km WNW of Anaheim, CA",
"coordinates": [
-117.9,
33.839
],
"depthKm": 8.14,
"id": "ci41352687",
"url": "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41352687",
"distanceKm": 39
}
],
"daily": [
{
"date": "2026-09-28",
"count": 395,
"maxMagnitude": 5.4,
"m45Count": 34
},
{
"date": "2026-09-29",
"count": 366,
"maxMagnitude": 5.6,
"m45Count": 24
},
{
"date": "2026-09-30",
"count": 372,
"maxMagnitude": 5.6,
"m45Count": 24
},
{
"date": "2026-10-01",
"count": 415,
"maxMagnitude": 5.3,
"m45Count": 22
},
{
"date": "2026-10-02",
"count": 357,
"maxMagnitude": 5.7,
"m45Count": 35
},
{
"date": "2026-10-03",
"count": 332,
"maxMagnitude": 5.7,
"m45Count": 18
},
{
"date": "2026-10-04",
"count": 332,
"maxMagnitude": 5.1,
"m45Count": 18
},
{
"date": "2026-10-05",
"count": 323,
"maxMagnitude": 5.3,
"m45Count": 17
},
{
"date": "2026-10-06",
"count": 367,
"maxMagnitude": 5.8,
"m45Count": 18
},
{
"date": "2026-10-07",
"count": 428,
"maxMagnitude": 5.2,
"m45Count": 23
},
{
"date": "2026-10-08",
"count": 312,
"maxMagnitude": 6.3,
"m45Count": 20
},
{
"date": "2026-10-09",
"count": 390,
"maxMagnitude": 7.7,
"m45Count": 63
},
{
"date": "2026-10-10",
"count": 334,
"maxMagnitude": 6,
"m45Count": 38
},
{
"date": "2026-10-11",
"count": 325,
"maxMagnitude": 6.2,
"m45Count": 28
},
{
"date": "2026-10-12",
"count": 381,
"maxMagnitude": 6.1,
"m45Count": 30
},
{
"date": "2026-10-13",
"count": 331,
"maxMagnitude": 6.8,
"m45Count": 23
},
{
"date": "2026-10-14",
"count": 260,
"maxMagnitude": 5.9,
"m45Count": 12
},
{
"date": "2026-10-15",
"count": 303,
"maxMagnitude": 5.6,
"m45Count": 14
},
{
"date": "2026-10-16",
"count": 340,
"maxMagnitude": 6.9,
"m45Count": 18
},
{
"date": "2026-10-17",
"count": 300,
"maxMagnitude": 5.7,
"m45Count": 12
},
{
"date": "2026-10-18",
"count": 421,
"maxMagnitude": 5.2,
"m45Count": 12
},
{
"date": "2026-10-19",
"count": 354,
"maxMagnitude": 6,
"m45Count": 29
},
{
"date": "2026-10-20",
"count": 290,
"maxMagnitude": 6.3,
"m45Count": 24
},
{
"date": "2026-10-21",
"count": 315,
"maxMagnitude": 5.3,
"m45Count": 19
},
{
"date": "2026-10-22",
"count": 372,
"maxMagnitude": 7,
"m45Count": 25
},
{
"date": "2026-10-23",
"count": 302,
"maxMagnitude": 5.7,
"m45Count": 24
},
{
"date": "2026-10-24",
"count": 255,
"maxMagnitude": 6.9,
"m45Count": 49
},
{
"date": "2026-10-25",
"count": 234,
"maxMagnitude": 6.5,
"m45Count": 26
},
{
"date": "2026-10-26",
"count": 217,
"maxMagnitude": 5.5,
"m45Count": 19
},
{
"date": "2026-10-27",
"count": 194,
"maxMagnitude": 5.8,
"m45Count": 17
}
]
}
}
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.
| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
earthquakes_LastUpdated | string | "2026-10-26T20:35:55.000Z" | Timestamp of when the underlying earthquake data was last refreshed from USGS |
earthquakes_LastHour | number | 7 | Number of earthquakes recorded in the past hour |
count24h | number | 200 | Total earthquake count in the past 24 hours |
largestMagnitude24h | number | 5.5 | Largest earthquake magnitude recorded in the past 24 hours |
avgMagnitude24hPremium | number | 1.74 | Average earthquake magnitude across the past 24 hours |
count7dPremium | number | 1889 | Earthquakes recorded worldwide over the last 7 UTC days, today so far included; null until days are stored |
count30dPremium | number | 9917 | Earthquakes recorded worldwide over the last 30 UTC days, today so far included; null until days are stored |
avgDailyCount30dPremium | number | 335.3 | Average earthquakes per complete UTC day over the last 30 days |
m45Count30dPremium | number | 735 | Earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more over the last 30 days |
largestMagnitude7dPremium | number | 7 | Largest magnitude recorded over the last 7 days |
largestMagnitude30dPremium | number | 7.7 | Largest magnitude recorded over the last 30 days |
largestPlace30dPremium | string | "12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama" | Location of the last 30 days' largest earthquake |
largestTime30dPremium | number | 1791568566036 | Unix timestamp, in milliseconds, of the last 30 days' largest earthquake |
daysStored | number | 30 | How many of the last 30 UTC days have stored stats |
period | string | "day" | The time window the earthquakes list covers: hour or day |
count | number | 2 | Number of earthquakes returned after the period, magnitude and location filters |
earthquakes | array[2] | Earthquakes recorded in the requested period, after any filters | |
mag | number | 1.63 | Magnitude of the earthquake |
place | string | "2 km NW of Sylmar, CA" | Human-readable description of the epicenter's location |
time | number | 1792978838050 | Unix timestamp, in milliseconds, of when the earthquake occurred |
felt | object | null | Number of 'felt' reports submitted by the public for this event; absent when none were submitted |
cdi | object | null | Maximum reported intensity of the event from citizen 'Did You Feel It?' reports |
mmi | object | null | Maximum estimated instrumental intensity of the event |
alert | object | null | PAGER alert level for the event (green, yellow, orange, or red); null when no alert has been assigned |
status | string | "reviewed" | Review status of the event: 'automatic' if produced by an automatic system, 'reviewed' if a human seismologist verified it |
tsunami | number | 0 | Whether a tsunami warning was associated with this event (1) or not (0) |
sig | number | 41 | A number describing how significant the event is, based on magnitude, felt reports, and other factors; larger numbers indicate a more significant event |
net | string | "ci" | ID of the seismic network that originally authored the event |
types | string | ",focal-mechanism,nearby-cities,origin,phase-data,scitech-link," | Comma-separated list of product types associated with this event |
nst | number | 56 | Number of seismic stations used to determine the earthquake's location |
dmin | number | 0.04284 | Horizontal distance, in degrees, from the epicenter to the nearest reporting station |
rms | number | 0.27 | Root-mean-square travel time residual of the seismic stations used to locate the event, in seconds |
gap | number | 34 | Largest azimuthal gap, in degrees, between adjacent reporting stations |
magType | string | "ml" | Method or algorithm used to calculate the reported magnitude |
type | string | "earthquake" | Type of seismic event, e.g. earthquake or quarry blast |
title | string | "M 1.6 - 2 km NW of Sylmar, CA" | Formatted summary combining the magnitude and place, e.g. 'M 2.5 - 3 km ESE of Camarillo, CA' |
coordinates | array | [-118.464666666667, ...] | Epicenter location as [longitude, latitude] |
depthKm | number | 4.21 | Depth of the hypocenter below the surface, in kilometers |
id | string | "ci41352567" | USGS event ID, stable across updates to the event |
url | string | "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41352567" | USGS event page with maps, felt reports and ShakeMap |
distanceKmPremium | number | 37 | Distance from lat/lon to the epicenter in kilometers; present only when lat and lon are given |
dailyPremium | array[30] | One row per UTC day for the last 30 days, oldest first; today is the day so far (when daily=true) | |
datePremium | string | "2026-09-28" | UTC date (YYYY-MM-DD) |
countPremium | number | 395 | Earthquakes recorded that day |
maxMagnitudePremium | number | 5.4 | Largest magnitude that day; null when no event had one |
m45CountPremium | number | 34 | Earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more that day |
Errors
Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change. Error handling covers the full status list and which of them are worth retrying.
| Status | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
400 | Input was rejected | Read error; it names the parameter. |
401 | Key missing or invalid | Check the header name and the key value. |
403 | Key valid, but not permitted | A key restriction or IP allow-list; see key scoping. |
429 | Rate limited, or out of credits | Read error to tell them apart; see rate limits. |
Use cases
- Emergency Alerting Systems
- When a tremor occurs, disaster response platforms trigger push alerts based on magnitude, epicenter coordinates, and tsunami warning indicators.
- Travel Safety Trackers
- Trip planning apps display nearby seismic activity and citizen felt reports along travel routes to warn tourists of active tremors.
- Infrastructure Risk Monitoring
- To protect bridges and pipelines, civil engineering teams log seismic intensity metrics and epicenter proximity to schedule structural safety inspections.
- Geoscience Educational Maps
- Interactive classroom dashboards map live earthquake epicenters with magnitude summaries and felt reports straight from USGS records.
Other ways to use Worldwide Earthquakes
Set up Worldwide Earthquakes on APIVerve, or reach the same source a different way. Your APIVerve account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.VerveKit →Reference →
Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.VerveSheets →Reference →
Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.VerveContext →Reference →
Related
More in Weather: