Plate Tectonics Map
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Earthquakes today

Every earthquake from the USGS feed, refreshed each minute and drawn over the plate boundaries.

Connecting to USGS

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Where earthquakes happen, and why

Nearly every dot on this map sits on or near a plate boundary. Plates are locked together along their edges by friction. As they keep moving a few centimeters a year, the rock bends until it snaps, and that sudden slip is an earthquake. Turn the range to 30 days and the outline of the plates appears on its own.

The deepest quakes, down to about 700 km, happen inside slabs of ocean floor sinking into the mantle at convergent boundaries such as those under Tonga, Japan and South America. Shallow quakes dominate along mid-ocean ridges and transform faults like the San Andreas.

How to use the map

Circle size and color show magnitude. A dark outline marks a quake in the last hour. Click a circle or a row in the list for the time, depth, the plate it struck on and a link to the official USGS event page. The 24-hour view includes small quakes that are mostly recorded in the United States, where seismic networks are densest.

Frequently asked questions

How often is this earthquake map updated?

The map reloads the USGS summary feed every minute while the page is open. New events usually appear within a few minutes of the quake for the United States and within about 20 minutes for the rest of the world.

Why are most earthquakes along the colored lines?

The lines are plate boundaries. Plates lock together at their edges, strain builds, and the rock breaks in an earthquake. Convergent boundaries (orange-red) produce the largest quakes because the fault surfaces where one plate sinks under another are enormous.

What does the magnitude number mean?

Magnitude measures the energy released. Each whole step is about 32 times more energy, so an M7 releases roughly 1,000 times more energy than an M5. Shaking at a given place also depends on depth and distance.

How many earthquakes happen each day?

Seismometers record thousands of earthquakes worldwide every day, but most are too small to feel. Globally there are roughly 15 magnitude 7 or larger quakes in an average year, according to the USGS.

Can earthquakes be predicted?

No. Scientists can estimate how likely a strong quake is in a region over decades, but nobody can predict the time, place and size of a specific earthquake. Early warning systems can only give seconds of notice after a quake has started.