─╱╲──╱╲╱╲───────────╱──────╲──╱╲──╱╲─╱╲╱╲──╱╲───────────────── TECTONIC PULSE ////// LIVE WORLD SEISMIC RADAR ////// USGS FEED ──────────────────╲╱──────────────────────╲╱──────────────────

Tectonic Pulse — Live World Seismic Radar

Real-time global earthquake activity · USGS GeoJSON feed · Filters by continent, magnitude & depth · Auto-refresh every 60s

Quakes (24h)

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detected events worldwide

Strongest (7d)

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Energy Released (7d)

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— Hiroshima bomb equiv.

Active Regions (24h)

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distinct location clusters

Deepest Focus (7d)

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km below surface

Avg Depth (7d)

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km · — total events

Fetching data...

Live Seismic Radar — USGS GeoJSON 100% — events on map

M0–2 M2–3 M3–4 M4–5 M5–6 M6+ Pulse ring = <2h old

Seismic Event Stream ● REC

Initializing seismic feed...

Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program · earthquake.usgs.gov · Updates every 60s

Free Global Earthquake Monitor — Powered by USGS Live Data

Tectonic Pulse is a free real-time seismic dashboard delivering live earthquake data from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program GeoJSON feed. Every event shown on the radar map is sourced directly from the United States Geological Survey, which maintains one of the world's most comprehensive networks of seismographs and processes over one million earthquake events per year. Data updates automatically every 60 seconds — the same feed used by emergency management agencies and seismological research institutions worldwide.

The live world radar plots every detected earthquake from the past 7 days using an equirectangular projection, with dot size scaled logarithmically to magnitude and color graduated from green (minor, M2–3) through yellow and orange to deep red for significant events (M5+) and magenta for major events exceeding M6. Events recorded within the last two hours display a pulsing ring animation, making it immediately visible where the Earth is actively moving right now. Hover over any dot to see the magnitude, location, depth, and exact time of the event.

Energy Released Counter — TNT Equivalent

The energy released counter uses the Gutenberg-Richter energy formula (E = 10^(1.5M + 4.8) Joules) to calculate the total seismic energy released by all earthquakes in the past 7 days, then converts this to metric tons of TNT equivalent and expresses it as a multiple of the Hiroshima atomic bomb (15 kilotons). This puts the raw power of Earth's tectonic activity in human-comprehensible terms. A single M7.0 earthquake releases approximately 2 billion tons of TNT equivalent — the same energy as 133,000 Hiroshima bombs.

Continent & Magnitude Filters

Use the continent filter to isolate seismic activity in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, or Oceania. The magnitude slider sets a minimum threshold, allowing you to focus on significant events (M4.5+) or view the full spectrum of microseismic activity. The Pacific Ring of Fire — running from New Zealand up through Japan, across Alaska, and down the western coasts of the Americas — accounts for approximately 90% of the world's earthquakes, making Asia and the Americas the most active regions. The event stream on the right updates in real time as filters are applied.

No Signup. No Ads. No Install.

Tectonic Pulse runs entirely in your browser with no backend, no tracking beyond standard analytics, and no subscription required. It is one of over 90+ free browser tools at jasperbernaers.com. The USGS GeoJSON API is completely free and public — this dashboard simply makes its data more accessible and visually compelling than the raw feed.

Frequently Asked Questions — Tectonic Pulse

Where does the earthquake data come from?

All data comes from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program GeoJSON feed at earthquake.usgs.gov. USGS operates the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS), a network of hundreds of seismographs across the United States and in partnership with global networks. The feed used here (all_week.geojson) contains every earthquake detected worldwide in the past 7 days, updated every minute. No API key is required — the feed is completely public.

How is the energy released calculated?

Energy is calculated using the Gutenberg-Richter formula: E = 10^(1.5M + 4.8) Joules, where M is the moment magnitude. This is then converted to metric tons of TNT (1 metric ton TNT = 4.184 × 10⁹ J) and expressed as multiples of the Hiroshima bomb (15 kilotons TNT). Note that earthquake energy scales dramatically with magnitude — each full magnitude unit represents ~31.6× more energy. An M6.0 quake releases about 31.6 times more energy than an M5.0, and about 1,000 times more than an M4.0.

What is the Ring of Fire and why does it have so many earthquakes?

The Pacific Ring of Fire is a 40,000 km horseshoe-shaped belt around the Pacific Ocean where several tectonic plates meet. It includes the Pacific Plate, North American Plate, Juan de Fuca Plate, Nazca Plate, and Philippine Plate, among others. These plates are actively subducting (sliding under each other) or colliding, generating enormous stress that releases as earthquakes. Approximately 90% of the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes occur here. Countries along the Ring of Fire — Japan, Indonesia, Chile, the Philippines, and the western United States — are among the most seismically active on Earth.

What does earthquake depth tell us?

Earthquake depth (also called hypocentral depth or focal depth) is the vertical distance from the Earth's surface to where the rupture originates. Shallow earthquakes (0–70 km) typically cause the most surface damage because their energy has less distance to dissipate. Intermediate earthquakes (70–300 km) occur in subducting slabs. Deep earthquakes (300–700 km) occur in the deep mantle and are only possible in certain subduction zones — the deepest ever recorded was 751 km beneath the Sea of Okhotsk in 2013. Deep earthquakes rarely cause significant surface damage despite often having large magnitudes.

Why are so many earthquakes shown? I didn't feel any of these.

Most earthquakes are far too small to feel. The USGS detects events as small as M0.0 or even negative magnitudes using sensitive seismographs. A typical week sees 10,000–15,000 detected events globally. The threshold for humans to feel a quake is typically around M2.5 near the epicentre. A quake needs to reach M4.5 or above to potentially cause minor damage. M6.0+ causes moderate damage, and M7.0+ is considered a major earthquake capable of widespread destruction. Use the magnitude slider to filter to events you'd likely feel (M2.5+) or significant events (M4.5+).

How often does the data update?

This dashboard fetches fresh data from the USGS feed every 60 seconds. The USGS itself processes and publishes earthquake data within 1–5 minutes of detection for most events. For significant earthquakes (M5.5+), USGS typically publishes initial parameters within 2–3 minutes. Magnitude and location estimates are often revised in the hours and days following an event as more seismograph data is processed. The timestamp shown in the event log reflects when USGS first published the event.