Earthquake Globe

What is Earthquake Globe?

Earthquake Globe is a free iOS app that displays real-time earthquake data on an immersive 3D globe using Apple Maps. All data comes directly from the USGS GeoJSON feed and refreshes every 5 minutes, so you are always seeing current seismic activity worldwide.

The app visualizes magnitude on a color gradient, from light gray for minor tremors up to dark red for major events. You can explore the globe interactively, zoom into regions, and tap any event for full USGS data including depth, coordinates, and local time.

Who is it for?

• People living in seismically active regions who want real-time earthquake awareness
• Geoscience students and enthusiasts following global tectonic activity
• Anyone curious about global seismic events after a major earthquake in the news
• Emergency preparedness users who want early notification of M6+ events
• Science educators looking for a live data visualization tool

Key Features

• Real-time USGS data: Pulls from the USGS GeoJSON feed every 5 minutes. Data covers global earthquakes from M1.0 upward.
• 3D Apple Maps globe: Fully interactive spinning globe with magnitude color pins. Rotate, zoom, and explore any region.
• Color-coded magnitude pins: Gray (low magnitude) to dark red (high magnitude) gradient makes severity immediately visible.
• Time and magnitude filters: Filter by time period (1h, 24h, 7d, 30d) and minimum magnitude.
• Push notifications for M6+ events: Local push notifications alert you when a major earthquake occurs.
• Tectonic fault lines overlay: Visualize PB2002 fault line data over the globe for geological context.
• Shake radius visualization: See the estimated affected area for each earthquake event.
• Dark mode only: Built with a dark interface designed for map readability.

Pricing

Earthquake Globe is completely free. No ads, no in-app purchases, no subscription. Download from the App Store at no cost.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Completely free with no ads or purchases
• Real-time global data from USGS, the most authoritative seismic source
• Beautiful 3D globe interface that makes data exploration intuitive
• Push notifications for major events
• Tectonic fault lines overlay adds geological context

Cons / Limitations

• iOS only, no Android or web version
• Data limited to M1.0+ events from USGS
• Dark mode only, no light mode option

Alternatives

USGS Earthquake Hazards app offers official data but a dated interface. Quake Hunter and Earthquake Network provide similar real-time data on both iOS and Android. Earthquake Globe's advantage is the 3D Apple Maps globe visualization and the tectonic fault lines overlay.