Earthquakes, Current, Last 30 Days, Global (v1.0)

Technical Description

The Current Earthquakes product is a low-latency data that identifies global areas which may have experienced damage due to significant seismic events. It evaluates possible damage levels at different locations using macroseismic intensities from USGS shakemap data. These intensities are calculated using both observed and estimated ground motions through a combination of instrumental measurements and numerical ground motion modeling.

This product uses the most up-to-date ground motion data available from the USGS for globally significant earthquakes with a published magnitude greater than or equal to 4.0. Earthquakes below this magnitude are not included in this product as they are not expected to cause significant damage according to the USGS, and usually do not have published shakemaps. When new shakemaps are published (which is common for larger events after multiple manual reviews of the data), the product is updated to reflect the latest information.

Disclaimer: These data are intended for general informational purposes and may not always reflect the most current conditions or the full extent of the impact of an earthquake. They should not be used as the sole basis for critical decision-making in emergency situations. For detailed site-specific seismic analyses, consultation with professional seismologists or geotechnical engineers is recommended. Users are encouraged to refer to the USGS for the latest updates and more comprehensive information regarding specific earthquakes and shakemap data. A more full list of caveats is provided in the associated SpatiaFi product methodology documentation.

This dataset contains the following fields:

• intensity: The macroseismic intensity of the event at the specified location. This is a value derived from the peak ground motions caused by the earthquake, and can be used to estimate the potential damage that may have occurred. Values less than 5 generally indicate no damage. Values between 5 and 6 indicate very light damage. Values between 6 and 7 indicate light damage. Values between 7 and 8 indicate moderate damage. Values between 8 and 9 indicate moderate to heavy damage. Values between 9 and 10 indicate heavy damage, and values greater than 10 indicate very heavy to severe damage. This is a value in the range 0.0-12.0.