Here are the best places to zero in on earthquakes. These sites may be slow after a major earthquake. Be ready to try alternative sites on this list.
World Sites
USGS—"Latest Earthquakes - Last 7 Days" is from the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Hazards Program. Links lead to summary information. The USGS also has a notification service.
IRIS—"IRIS Seismic Monitor" is from the IRIS Consortium. Links lead to seismic data. Note the handy "Earthquake Headlines" and "Special Events" buttons.
GEOFON—"Global Seismic Monitor" is served from the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam in Germany.
U.S.A. Sites
USA—"Latest Earthquakes in the USA - Last 7 Days" is from the USGS. Click through to 10-by-10-degree, then 2-by-2-degree maps anywhere in the country.
Alaska—The Alaska Earthquake Information Center may be less busy than the USGS site.
California-Nevada—"Recent Earthquake Activity in California-Nevada" from the USGS catches most of the daily activity in the lower 48 states. Mirror sites are at USGS Pasadena and Caltech.
Central USA—"Recent Central US Earthquakes" is an alternate starting point served by the USGS Central Region office.
Hawaii—The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory shows quakes on Hawaii and Maui islands.
Intermountain West States—The University of Utah shows Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
Northeastern States—Columbia University's site covers New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and environs plus southern Ontario and Quebec.
Oregon and Washington—The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network covers both states.
Puerto Rico—The University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez covers the island.
U.S. Cities
San Francisco—The Bay area's own special map from the USGS.
Los Angeles—The heart of Southern California has its own special USGS map. Mirrored at Caltech.
Seattle—A special page from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network.
Other Countries
Canada—The Canadian Hazard Information Service covers the whole country.
UK and Ireland—The British Geological Survey posts events and a map.
Greater Europe—The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre goes beyond Europe as far as Arabia, North Africa, Iran and central Asia.
Japan—The Japan Meteorological Agency monitors the latest week's worth of events.
New Zealand—GeoNet also reports on volcanoes, landslides, tsunamis and more.
Live Seismic Data
Live Seismograph Traces—The USGS Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory serves this interactive map for ground movements (updated twice an hour) around the world after an event.
Northern California—The Berkeley Digital Seismic Network updates its seismograms every 10 minutes.
