# USGS Earthquake Monitor (`dash_authority/usgs-earthquake-monitor`) Actor Fetch real-time earthquake data from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program API. Query seismic events by magnitude, location, and time range. Categories: earthquake, natural hazards, USGS, real-time seismic data. - **URL**: https://apify.com/dash\_authority/usgs-earthquake-monitor.md - **Developed by:** [Dash Authority](https://apify.com/dash_authority) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, News - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing $1.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## USGS Earthquake Monitor Fetch real-time and historical earthquake data from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. This actor queries the USGS FDSNWS earthquake catalog API, covering seismic events globally with data updated every 60 seconds. ### Features - Filter earthquakes by minimum and maximum magnitude - Search within geographic bounding boxes (lat/lon) - Query by time range using ISO 8601 dates - Configurable result limit up to 20,000 per query - Returns full seismic metadata: depth, significance, tsunami flags, and felt reports - Pure HTTP — no browser, no scraping, no auth required ### Use Cases - **Insurance Risk Assessment**: Evaluate seismic exposure for properties and portfolios in earthquake-prone regions. Pull M4.0+ events over the last decade to model recurrence intervals. - **Disaster Response**: Feed live earthquake data into alerting dashboards. Emergency management teams can monitor magnitude spikes in real time. - **Real Estate Due Diligence**: Screen locations for historical earthquake activity before acquisitions or developments. - **Academic Research**: Access the authoritative USGS earthquake catalog for seismology studies, tectonic modeling, or statistical analysis. - **Monitoring Dashboards**: Build live earthquake maps and notification systems using the real-time feed. ### Input | Field | Type | Description | Default | |--------------|--------|----------------------------------------------------|---------| | minMagnitude | number | Minimum earthquake magnitude | 2.5 | | maxMagnitude | number | Maximum earthquake magnitude | — | | startTime | string | Start time (ISO 8601, e.g. 2024-01-15T00:00:00) | — | | endTime | string | End time (ISO 8601) | — | | minLatitude | number | Minimum latitude for bounding box | — | | maxLatitude | number | Maximum latitude for bounding box | — | | minLongitude | number | Minimum longitude for bounding box | — | | maxLongitude | number | Maximum longitude for bounding box | — | | limit | number | Maximum number of results to return | 100 | ### Output Example result: ```` { "id": "us7000m0xj", "magnitude": 5.2, "place": "34 km SSW of Hakkari, Turkey", "time": 1705324800000, "updated": 1705330000000, "longitude": 43.72, "latitude": 37.48, "depth": 10.5, "felt": 42, "cdi": 5.0, "mmi": 4.8, "alert": "green", "status": "reviewed", "tsunami": 0, "sig": 416, "net": "us", "code": "7000m0xj", "nst": 128, "dmin": 0.82, "rms": 0.65, "gap": 32, "magType": "mww", "type": "earthquake", "title": "M 5.2 - 34 km SSW of Hakkari, Turkey" } ```` | Field | Type | Description | |---------------|--------|-----------------------------------------------------| | id | string | Unique USGS event identifier | | magnitude | number | Earthquake magnitude | | place | string | Human-readable location description | | time | number | Event time (epoch milliseconds) | | updated | number | Last update time (epoch milliseconds) | | longitude | number | Epicenter longitude | | latitude | number | Epicenter latitude | | depth | number | Focal depth in kilometers | | felt | number | Number of felt reports submitted | | cdi | number | Community Determined Intensity | | mmi | number | Modified Mercalli Intensity | | alert | string | PAGER alert level (green/yellow/orange/red) | | status | string | Review status (automatic/reviewed) | | tsunami | number | Tsunami warning flag (1=yes, 0=no) | | sig | number | Significance score | | net | string | Reporting seismic network | | code | string | Network-specific event code | | nst | number | Number of stations reporting | | dmin | number | Distance to nearest station (degrees) | | rms | number | Root mean square travel time residual | | gap | number | Largest azimuthal gap (degrees) | | magType | string | Magnitude type (mww, mb, ml, etc.) | | type | string | Event type (earthquake, quarry blast, etc.) | | title | string | Short title for the event | ### Pricing $1.00 per 1,000 results ($0.001 per result). ### How It Works This actor makes direct HTTP requests to the USGS FDSNWS earthquake API at earthquake.usgs.gov. No browser automation, no authentication, no scraping. The USGS provides this data as a public service with no rate limiting — the API is designed for machine-to-machine consumption and updates every 60 seconds. ### FAQ **What time format should I use?** ISO 8601: `2024-01-15T00:00:00` or `2024-01-15`. If you omit the time portion, the API defaults to midnight UTC. **What is the maximum number of results?** 20,000 per query. For larger historical datasets, split your queries into smaller time windows. **How fresh is the data?** The USGS catalog updates approximately every 60 seconds. Minor events may take 5-15 minutes to appear; significant earthquakes appear within 1-2 minutes. **What geographic coverage does this include?** Global. The USGS earthquake catalog covers seismic events worldwide, not just the United States. ### Limits & Rate Limits - Maximum 20,000 results per query - USGS does not enforce rate limits, but extremely high request volumes may result in temporary throttling - Large bounding box + low magnitude queries can return massive datasets — use the limit parameter to stay manageable - Data availability varies by region; US coverage is the most comprehensive # Actor input Schema ## `minMagnitude` (type: `number`): Minimum earthquake magnitude to include. ## `maxMagnitude` (type: `number`): Maximum earthquake magnitude to include. ## `startTime` (type: `string`): Start of time range (ISO 8601 format, e.g. 2025-01-01). ## `endTime` (type: `string`): End of time range (ISO 8601 format, e.g. 2025-01-31). ## `minLatitude` (type: `number`): Minimum latitude for bounding box. ## `maxLatitude` (type: `number`): Maximum latitude for bounding box. ## `minLongitude` (type: `number`): Minimum longitude for bounding box. ## `maxLongitude` (type: `number`): Maximum longitude for bounding box. ## `limit` (type: `number`): Maximum number of results to return (max 20000). ## Actor input object example ```json { "minMagnitude": 2.5, "limit": 100 } ```` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = {}; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("dash_authority/usgs-earthquake-monitor").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = {} # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("dash_authority/usgs-earthquake-monitor").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{}' | apify call dash_authority/usgs-earthquake-monitor --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=dash_authority/usgs-earthquake-monitor", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "USGS Earthquake Monitor", "description": "Fetch real-time earthquake data from the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program API. Query seismic events by magnitude, location, and time range. Categories: earthquake, natural hazards, USGS, real-time seismic data.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "A76OUe5X97cYs3sFQ" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/dash_authority~usgs-earthquake-monitor/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-dash_authority-usgs-earthquake-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/dash_authority~usgs-earthquake-monitor/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-dash_authority-usgs-earthquake-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/dash_authority~usgs-earthquake-monitor/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-dash_authority-usgs-earthquake-monitor", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "minMagnitude": { "title": "Minimum Magnitude", "type": "number", "description": "Minimum earthquake magnitude to include.", "default": 2.5 }, "maxMagnitude": { "title": "Maximum Magnitude", "type": "number", "description": "Maximum earthquake magnitude to include." }, "startTime": { "title": "Start Time", "type": "string", "description": "Start of time range (ISO 8601 format, e.g. 2025-01-01)." }, "endTime": { "title": "End Time", "type": "string", "description": "End of time range (ISO 8601 format, e.g. 2025-01-31)." }, "minLatitude": { "title": "Minimum Latitude", "type": "number", "description": "Minimum latitude for bounding box." }, "maxLatitude": { "title": "Maximum Latitude", "type": "number", "description": "Maximum latitude for bounding box." }, "minLongitude": { "title": "Minimum Longitude", "type": "number", "description": "Minimum longitude for bounding box." }, "maxLongitude": { "title": "Maximum Longitude", "type": "number", "description": "Maximum longitude for bounding box." }, "limit": { "title": "Result Limit", "type": "number", "description": "Maximum number of results to return (max 20000).", "default": 100 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```