Does this app have real-time or early warning earthquake information?
No. Earthquake Alert! and any notifications are an informational tool only. It is NOT a robust
earthquake or tsunami warning system. The data is from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Earthquakes
are posted on the USGS website usually after the event itself. Depending on the sophistication of the
detection tools, earthquakes will appear anywhere from 1 minute to 45 minutes after it actually happens. This
app will only be as good as the source data.
I'm not seeing any New Zealand, European, or other earthquakes
The earthquake data comes from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Coverage of smaller earthquakes
varies by region. Events outside the United States below about magnitude 4.5 may be missing when the USGS
does not have enough observations from local networks.
Are there fault lines or tectonic plates on the map?
Yes you can enable it on the map. Look for the menu when viewing the map.
What's the "Near me" filter?
The "Near me" filter is 250 miles from your current location.
Why am I getting alerts 5, 10, 30 or more minutes after the quake happened?
The data comes from http://earthquakes.USGS.gov. Earthquakes are added to that site within a few minutes for
California events and within 30-minutes for worldwide events. Thus, this CANNOT be used as a warning system.
Read the Disclaimer
on the "Permissions and Legal" page for more information on data timing.
There was an earthquake in my area and it didn't appear in the list.
Earthquake Alert gets its data from the USGS (USGS.gov). Therefore it is only as good as its source. All
earthquakes available through the app's data source and current filters should appear. Coverage of small
earthquakes outside the United States varies by region.
It's also possible the earthquake is not within the current filters. Change the filters to include every
earthquake to see if it shows up. The USGS website has a number of FAQs that should also be consulted if there
is an issue with the data. USGS FAQ
What's the difference between the red and green rings on the map?
Red rings signify larger earthquakes (M4.5 and higher). Green rings are the smaller quakes.
Why does the magnitude sometimes change for an earthquake?
Many reporting agencies contribute to the data set Earthquake Alert uses. Often a larger earthquake is
reviewed by a human and its magnitude is updated.
Tell me more about the developer
Thanks for the interest! I've been writing Android apps since 2008 and have a fascination with earthquakes
since I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Thank you for downloading!