Earthquake Search

Search the USGS earthquake catalogue by magnitude, dates and distance from a place: magnitude, location, time, depth, tsunami flag, alert level and event page.

Pay by wallet (x402) usgs-earthquake-search

Example

Input

{
  "min_magnitude": 5,
  "limit": 5
}

Answer

{
  "count": 1,
  "filters": {
    "order": "time",
    "end_time": null,
    "latitude": null,
    "longitude": null,
    "start_time": "2026-08-05",
    "max_magnitude": null,
    "max_radius_km": null,
    "min_magnitude": 5
  },
  "earthquakes": [
    {
      "id": "us7000te9t",
      "url": "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000te9t",
      "time": "2026-09-04T11:59:58.323Z",
      "place": "Kermadec Islands region",
      "status": "reviewed",
      "updated": "2026-09-04T12:19:40.040Z",
      "depth_km": 10,
      "latitude": -28.5616,
      "longitude": -176.6452,
      "magnitude": 5.4,
      "event_type": "earthquake",
      "alert_level": null,
      "felt_reports": null,
      "significance": 449,
      "magnitude_type": "mww",
      "tsunami_warning": false
    }
  ]
}

Inputs

Field	Type	Required	What it is
`limit`	integer	No	Events to return, 1-100. Default: 20
`order`	string	No	time (newest first, default) or magnitude (largest first)
`end_time`	string	No	Latest event time, ISO date or datetime
`latitude`	number	No	Centre latitude for a radius search (requires longitude)
`longitude`	number	No	Centre longitude for a radius search (requires latitude)
`start_time`	string	No	Earliest event time, ISO date or datetime. Default: 30 days ago
`max_magnitude`	number	No	Maximum magnitude
`max_radius_km`	number	No	Search radius around the centre in km. Default: 500
`min_magnitude`	number	No	Minimum magnitude. Default: 4.5

Output fields

How reliably each field appears in a successful answer.

Field	Type	Appears
`count`	number	Always (present in every successful answer)
`filters`	object	Always (present in every successful answer)
`earthquakes`	array	Always (present in every successful answer)

How to call it

The same tool through each route. MCP clients reach it through Strale’s server at https://api.strale.io/mcp; the call below is what the agent sends.

# Needs an API key. max_price_cents caps what this call may cost.
curl -X POST https://api.strale.io/v1/do \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $STRALE_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "capability_slug": "usgs-earthquake-search",
    "inputs": {
      "min_magnitude": 5,
      "limit": 5
    },
    "max_price_cents": 2
  }'

{
  "tool": "strale_execute",
  "arguments": {
    "slug": "usgs-earthquake-search",
    "inputs": {
      "min_magnitude": 5,
      "limit": 5
    },
    "max_price_cents": 2
  }
}

import { Strale } from "straleio";

const strale = new Strale({ apiKey: process.env.STRALE_API_KEY! });
const result = await strale.do({
  capability_slug: "usgs-earthquake-search",
  inputs: {
    "min_magnitude": 5,
    "limit": 5
  },
  max_price_cents: 2,
});

import os
from straleio import Strale, DoRequest

strale = Strale(api_key=os.environ["STRALE_API_KEY"])
result = strale.do(DoRequest(
    capability_slug="usgs-earthquake-search",
    inputs={
        "min_magnitude": 5,
        "limit": 5,
    },
    max_price_cents=2,
))

# No account. The first request answers 402 with the price in USDC;
# an x402 client pays it from your wallet and repeats the request.
curl -i -X POST https://api.strale.io/x402/v2/usgs-earthquake-search \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "min_magnitude": 5,
    "limit": 5
  }'

Limitations

Magnitudes and locations can change after an event
USGS publishes automatic solutions first and reviewed ones later; status distinguishes them and magnitude can change by a few tenths.
What to do instead: Re-query later for reviewed values; treat status=automatic as provisional.
Small-event coverage is sparse outside the US
Below roughly magnitude 4.5 the catalogue is complete for the US and sparse elsewhere.
What to do instead: Keep min_magnitude at 4.5 or above for global comparisons.