Earthquake & Volcano Watch

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Earthquakes This Week

Every earthquake of magnitude 5.0 or larger anywhere on Earth in the past seven days, straight from the U.S. Geological Survey. This page checks for new ones every minute.

Reading the latest earthquakes…

What's normal? In a typical year Earth has about 1,500 earthquakes of magnitude 5 or larger, about 150 of magnitude 6 or larger and about 15 of magnitude 7 or larger (USGS long-term averages). That works out to roughly 28 of magnitude 5+ and 3 of magnitude 6+ in an average week.

Past 7 Days · Magnitude 5.0+

Earthquake List

Twenty quakes show at a time; scroll inside the list to see the rest. Sort them with the buttons, and tap the same button again to flip the order. Tap any earthquake to see it on a map with its time, place, magnitude and depth.

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Where They Struck

Earthquake Map

This week's magnitude 5+ earthquakes on one map. Bigger circles are bigger quakes. Zoom with the + and − buttons, a scroll wheel or two fingers, and tap a circle for its details.

Magnitude 5.0–5.96.0–6.97.0 and larger

Past 30 Years · Magnitude 5.0+

Earthquake Activity Over The Decades

How many earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or larger struck the whole Earth each year since 1996, from the U.S. Geological Survey catalog. This year is in orange, and the dashed lines show each decade's average per year. So that this year can be compared fairly, every year is counted over the same stretch, January 1 to today; tap "Whole year" for full-year totals. Tap a bar to see its number.

Size

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About Earthquakes

Where to follow earthquakes as they happen, and what the numbers mean.

Where To Learn More

USGS Latest Earthquakes mapThe source of this page's list. Every quake worldwide, with shaking maps, felt reports and science for the big ones.
EMSC (European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre)Often first to post a quake, with eyewitness reports and pictures from people who felt it.
GEOFON, GFZ PotsdamGermany's fast worldwide earthquake list.
IRIS Seismic MonitorA live world map of quakes with links to seismograms from stations near each one.
Tsunami.gov (NOAA)Official U.S. tsunami warnings, advisories and threat messages.
Japan Meteorological AgencyJapan's official quake and tsunami information, in English.

Magnitude: The energy an earthquake releases. Each whole number is about 32 times more energy: a magnitude 7 releases about 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 5.
Depth: How far underground the rupture began. Shallow quakes (under 70 km, about 43 mi) shake the surface hardest; deep ones are felt more gently over a wider area.
Aftershocks: Smaller quakes that follow a big one in the same area, sometimes for months. One large quake often brings several magnitude 5+ aftershocks in this list.
Tsunami flag: USGS marks large quakes under or near the ocean. The flag does not mean a tsunami happened; check Tsunami.gov for warnings.
Felt reports: How many people told USGS "Did You Feel It?" that they felt the quake.
PAGER alert: USGS's estimate of likely deaths and damage: green (little), yellow, orange or red (severe).

Erupting Now

Volcano List

Every volcano the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program lists as erupting now, plus U.S. volcanoes on alert. Sort them with the buttons, and tap a volcano to see it on a map with its country, type, height and eruption details. The badge on each volcano shows its VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index), the standard measure of how explosive an eruption is, from 0 for gentle lava flows like Hawaii's to 8 for a super-eruption; each step up means about 10 times more ash and rock thrown out.

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About "Size": volcanoes are ranked by the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), from 0 (gentle lava flows, like Hawaii) to 8 (super-eruptions). Each step is about 10 times more material thrown out. The number shown is the largest VEI recorded so far in the current eruption.

Where They Are

Volcano Map

The erupting volcanoes on one map, sized by explosiveness. Zoom in and out, and tap a volcano for its details.

VEI 0–1 (gentle)VEI 2 (explosive)VEI 3 and up (strongly explosive)U.S. volcano on alert

Past 30 Years · Smithsonian Record

Volcano Activity Over The Decades

How many volcanoes erupted each year since 1996, from the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program. Choose between every volcano that erupted at any time that year, only the eruptions that began that year, or only the explosive ones (VEI 3 or more). The dashed lines show each decade's average per year. Tap a bar to see its number.

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About Volcanoes

Where to follow eruptions, and what the terms mean.

Where To Learn More

Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity ReportA plain summary every Wednesday of new and ongoing eruptions worldwide.
Smithsonian Global Volcanism ProgramThe source of this page's list: the world's reference database of volcanoes and eruptions.
USGS Volcano UpdatesAlert levels and daily updates for U.S. volcanoes, from Hawaii to Alaska and the Cascades.
VolcanoDiscoveryFast daily volcano news from around the world.
Volcanic Ash Advisory CentersThe ash-cloud warnings issued for aircraft.

VEI: Volcanic Explosivity Index: 0 for gentle lava flows up to 8 for super-eruptions. Each step is about 10 times more erupted material.
Ongoing eruption: One that has not been declared over. Some, like Stromboli's, have gone on for decades with small, frequent bursts.
U.S. alert levels: Normal, Advisory (unrest), Watch (heightened unrest or a minor eruption) and Warning (a major eruption under way or expected).
Aviation color code: Green, yellow, orange or red, telling pilots how likely ash is in the air.