Questions about the live globe

How live is “real time”?

The list polls about every three seconds from USGS hour/day feeds plus INGV and EMSC. A new event zooms the globe immediately; a later review only flashes the card. Catalogs are merged so the same quake is not shown twice.

What do the colors mean?

Green is magnitude below 4 (usually light). Yellow is 4.0 to 5.9 (often felt over a wide area). Red is 6.0 and above (major events that can cause significant damage near the epicenter). Color is a quick guide, not an insurance or intensity map.

Why do I hear a beep or an alarm?

Sounds are on by default. The browser still needs one click or tap on the page before it can play audio. New green or yellow quakes then beep; red quakes play a brief alarm. Mute anytime from the header.

Why does the globe zoom in?

In Auto globe, a new event flies the camera to that latitude and longitude, holds, then returns to the default whole-Earth view before the next one. Click a circle for a details balloon; overlapping events at the same spot are grouped so you can scroll between them. Free look lets you orbit by hand; switching back to Auto globe resets zoom and position.

Which languages are supported?

The interface is available in English, Italian, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Swedish. Pick a language in the header; the URL keeps a /en/, /it/, /ja/ prefix for sharing and SEO.

Can I use this for emergency response?

No. Use official agencies in your country. Earthquake World is an educational live visualization with USGS data, not a warning product.