Latest Earthquakes on the World Map

How to read the earthquake map

Open the earthquake layer, move to a region and select an event. Its record can include an origin time, a reported location, coordinates, magnitude, depth and the agency that supplied it. Read the timestamp before interpreting a marker as a recent event.

This page shows a bounded selection of available observations when the server has a usable snapshot. The interactive map provides the broader view and its current source status. If the snapshot is unavailable, the message below says so; an empty feed is not evidence of a quiet planet.

Magnitude, depth and felt shaking

Magnitude describes the size of an earthquake. It does not describe how strongly every nearby town felt it. Depth, distance and local ground conditions also matter. Compare these fields together instead of reading a marker’s magnitude as a local damage estimate.

A place description usually identifies an area near the epicentre, rather than a precise address. Time values in the observation table use UTC, so an event’s calendar date can differ from the date in your local time zone. Check this distinction when comparing news reports.

Where the records come from

PocketWorld combines publicly available USGS and EMSC observations. The normal collection uses recent daily feeds; available records depend on provider coverage and the retained snapshot. The sources may report the same event differently before analysts revise its location, depth or magnitude.

Use the source reference to compare the original record when a detail matters. A later revision is not necessarily a second earthquake. Collection and caching introduce additional delay after a provider publishes an observation, so this map cannot guarantee immediate detection or a complete local catalogue.

Explore a region responsibly

Start with your region, inspect the event time and depth, then compare nearby observations on the map. You can switch to other disaster or weather layers for geographic context, but neighbouring markers alone do not establish a causal relationship between different events.

PocketWorld supports exploration and education. It does not predict earthquakes or replace official emergency information. For local warnings and decisions, consult the responsible authorities and the original monitoring agency. Save the earthquake page to return to the same subject without treating an older screenshot as current information.

Regional earthquake guides

Magnitude versus intensity: how to read an earthquake marker

Europe: comparing EMSC and national earthquake reports

Canada: reading Natural Resources Canada event records

United States: ShakeMap, felt reports and impact estimates

These regional pages summarize tectonic context and explain the limits of public earthquake catalogues. Their map links open a geographic focus, not a complete local event search.

• California
• Japan
• Indonesia
• Chile
• Turkey
• Nepal
• Alaska
• Philippines
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Mexico
• Iran
• Greece
• Taiwan
• Pakistan

Sources and methodology

USGS · EMSC · GeoNet (NHC, Earth Sciences NZ, LINZ, NEMA, MBIE) · Sources and methodology · Methodology