Earthquake Grounding Data for AI Agents

Overview

Requests pull seismic records refreshed hourly from the United States Geological Survey. The endpoint outputs events from the previous hour with magnitudes, coordinates, and tsunami indicators, leaving alert levels null if unassigned. It also provides rolling 24-hour counts and peak magnitudes, while paid plans add the 24-hour average magnitude. The last 30 UTC days are stored as daily summaries, so paid plans also get the 7- and 30-day earthquake counts, the average per day, the number of M4.5+ quakes, and the largest quake of the week and month with its location and time; daily=true returns one row per day.

Live Test Earthquake Grounding Data for AI Agents Source →

The tool

Once your client is connected to the VerveContext server, this appears in its tool list as EarthquakeGroundingDataforAIAgents. It is read-only and open-world — it fetches and never mutates anything on your side — so most clients call it without asking you to confirm.

Tool call

{
  "name": "EarthquakeGroundingDataforAIAgents",
  "arguments": {}
}

Connecting

One server URL covers every source in the catalog, including this one. Authorization is OAuth: the client opens a browser once, and there is no key to paste into a config file.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vervecontext": {
      "url": "https://api.vervecontext.com/v1/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Per-client setup — Claude, Cursor, VS Code, ChatGPT — is on the MCP setup page.

Arguments

These are the properties on the tool's inputSchema, so a well-behaved client validates them before the call is made. Premium arguments are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

Argument	Type	Description
`period`OptionalPremium	string	Time window: hour (the past hour) or day (the past 24 hours) `hourday` default hour
`minMagnitude`Optional	number	Only return earthquakes of at least this magnitude range -2–10
`lat`OptionalPremium	number	Latitude to search around. With lon, returns only earthquakes within radius km, nearest first, each with distanceKm range -90–90
`lon`OptionalPremium	number	Longitude to search around (use with lat) range -180–180
`radius`OptionalPremium	number	Search radius in kilometers around lat/lon default 500 · range 1–20000
`daily`OptionalPremium	boolean	Include one row per UTC day for the last 30 days: event count, largest magnitude and M4.5+ count

What the model gets back

The result carries a structuredContent object matching the tool's declared outputSchema, so a client reads fields without parsing prose. status is "ok" and error is null on success; a null field means the value was not available for that input, not that the call failed.

Result

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "earthquakes_LastUpdated": "2026-10-26T20:35:55.000Z",
    "earthquakes_LastHour": 7,
    "count24h": 200,
    "largestMagnitude24h": 5.5,
    "avgMagnitude24h": 1.74,
    "count7d": 1889,
    "count30d": 9917,
    "avgDailyCount30d": 335.3,
    "m45Count30d": 735,
    "largestMagnitude7d": 7,
    "largestMagnitude30d": 7.7,
    "largestPlace30d": "12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama",
    "largestTime30d": 1791568566036,
    "daysStored": 30,
    "period": "day",
    "count": 2,
    "earthquakes": [
      {
        "mag": 1.63,
        "place": "2 km NW of Sylmar, CA",
        "time": 1792978838050,
        "felt": null,
        "cdi": null,
        "mmi": null,
        "alert": null,
        "status": "reviewed",
        "tsunami": 0,
        "sig": 41,
        "net": "ci",
        "types": ",focal-mechanism,nearby-cities,origin,phase-data,scitech-link,",
        "nst": 56,
        "dmin": 0.04284,
        "rms": 0.27,
        "gap": 34,
        "magType": "ml",
        "type": "earthquake",
        "title": "M 1.6 - 2 km NW of Sylmar, CA",
        "coordinates": [
          -118.464666666667,
          34.3231666666667
        ],
        "depthKm": 4.21,
        "id": "ci41352567",
        "url": "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41352567",
        "distanceKm": 37
      },
      {
        "mag": 1.28,
        "place": "1 km WNW of Anaheim, CA",
        "time": 1792989969550,
        "felt": null,
        "cdi": null,
        "mmi": null,
        "alert": null,
        "status": "automatic",
        "tsunami": 0,
        "sig": 25,
        "net": "ci",
        "types": ",nearby-cities,origin,phase-data,",
        "nst": 59,
        "dmin": 0.03761,
        "rms": 0.24,
        "gap": 55,
        "magType": "ml",
        "type": "earthquake",
        "title": "M 1.3 - 1 km WNW of Anaheim, CA",
        "coordinates": [
          -117.9,
          33.839
        ],
        "depthKm": 8.14,
        "id": "ci41352687",
        "url": "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41352687",
        "distanceKm": 39
      }
    ],
    "daily": [
      {
        "date": "2026-09-28",
        "count": 395,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.4,
        "m45Count": 34
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-09-29",
        "count": 366,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.6,
        "m45Count": 24
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-09-30",
        "count": 372,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.6,
        "m45Count": 24
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-01",
        "count": 415,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.3,
        "m45Count": 22
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-02",
        "count": 357,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.7,
        "m45Count": 35
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-03",
        "count": 332,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.7,
        "m45Count": 18
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-04",
        "count": 332,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.1,
        "m45Count": 18
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-05",
        "count": 323,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.3,
        "m45Count": 17
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-06",
        "count": 367,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.8,
        "m45Count": 18
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-07",
        "count": 428,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.2,
        "m45Count": 23
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-08",
        "count": 312,
        "maxMagnitude": 6.3,
        "m45Count": 20
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-09",
        "count": 390,
        "maxMagnitude": 7.7,
        "m45Count": 63
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-10",
        "count": 334,
        "maxMagnitude": 6,
        "m45Count": 38
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-11",
        "count": 325,
        "maxMagnitude": 6.2,
        "m45Count": 28
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-12",
        "count": 381,
        "maxMagnitude": 6.1,
        "m45Count": 30
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-13",
        "count": 331,
        "maxMagnitude": 6.8,
        "m45Count": 23
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-14",
        "count": 260,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.9,
        "m45Count": 12
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-15",
        "count": 303,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.6,
        "m45Count": 14
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-16",
        "count": 340,
        "maxMagnitude": 6.9,
        "m45Count": 18
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-17",
        "count": 300,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.7,
        "m45Count": 12
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-18",
        "count": 421,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.2,
        "m45Count": 12
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-19",
        "count": 354,
        "maxMagnitude": 6,
        "m45Count": 29
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-20",
        "count": 290,
        "maxMagnitude": 6.3,
        "m45Count": 24
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-21",
        "count": 315,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.3,
        "m45Count": 19
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-22",
        "count": 372,
        "maxMagnitude": 7,
        "m45Count": 25
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-23",
        "count": 302,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.7,
        "m45Count": 24
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-24",
        "count": 255,
        "maxMagnitude": 6.9,
        "m45Count": 49
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-25",
        "count": 234,
        "maxMagnitude": 6.5,
        "m45Count": 26
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-26",
        "count": 217,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.5,
        "m45Count": 19
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-27",
        "count": 194,
        "maxMagnitude": 5.8,
        "m45Count": 17
      }
    ]
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`earthquakes_LastUpdated`	string	`2026-10-26T20:35:55.000Z`	Timestamp of when the underlying earthquake data was last refreshed from USGS
`earthquakes_LastHour`	number	`7`	Number of earthquakes recorded in the past hour
`count24h`	number	`200`	Total earthquake count in the past 24 hours
`largestMagnitude24h`	number	`5.5`	Largest earthquake magnitude recorded in the past 24 hours
`avgMagnitude24h`Premium	number	`1.74`	Average earthquake magnitude across the past 24 hours
`count7d`Premium	number	`1889`	Earthquakes recorded worldwide over the last 7 UTC days, today so far included; null until days are stored
`count30d`Premium	number	`9917`	Earthquakes recorded worldwide over the last 30 UTC days, today so far included; null until days are stored
`avgDailyCount30d`Premium	number	`335.3`	Average earthquakes per complete UTC day over the last 30 days
`m45Count30d`Premium	number	`735`	Earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more over the last 30 days
`largestMagnitude7d`Premium	number	`7`	Largest magnitude recorded over the last 7 days
`largestMagnitude30d`Premium	number	`7.7`	Largest magnitude recorded over the last 30 days
`largestPlace30d`Premium	string	`12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba, Panama`	Location of the last 30 days' largest earthquake
`largestTime30d`Premium	number	`1791568566036`	Unix timestamp, in milliseconds, of the last 30 days' largest earthquake
`daysStored`	number	`30`	How many of the last 30 UTC days have stored stats
`period`	string	`day`	The time window the earthquakes list covers: hour or day
`count`	number	`2`	Number of earthquakes returned after the period, magnitude and location filters
`earthquakes`	array[2]		Earthquakes recorded in the requested period, after any filters
`earthquakes.0.mag`	number	`1.63`	Magnitude of the earthquake
`earthquakes.0.place`	string	`2 km NW of Sylmar, CA`	Human-readable description of the epicenter's location
`earthquakes.0.time`	number	`1792978838050`	Unix timestamp, in milliseconds, of when the earthquake occurred
`earthquakes.0.felt`	object	`null`	Number of 'felt' reports submitted by the public for this event; absent when none were submitted
`earthquakes.0.cdi`	object	`null`	Maximum reported intensity of the event from citizen 'Did You Feel It?' reports
`earthquakes.0.mmi`	object	`null`	Maximum estimated instrumental intensity of the event
`earthquakes.0.alert`	object	`null`	PAGER alert level for the event (green, yellow, orange, or red); null when no alert has been assigned
`earthquakes.0.status`	string	`reviewed`	Review status of the event: 'automatic' if produced by an automatic system, 'reviewed' if a human seismologist verified it
`earthquakes.0.tsunami`	number	`0`	Whether a tsunami warning was associated with this event (1) or not (0)
`earthquakes.0.sig`	number	`41`	A number describing how significant the event is, based on magnitude, felt reports, and other factors; larger numbers indicate a more significant event
`earthquakes.0.net`	string	`ci`	ID of the seismic network that originally authored the event
`earthquakes.0.types`	string	`,focal-mechanism,nearby-cities,origin,phase-data,scitech-link,`	Comma-separated list of product types associated with this event
`earthquakes.0.nst`	number	`56`	Number of seismic stations used to determine the earthquake's location
`earthquakes.0.dmin`	number	`0.04284`	Horizontal distance, in degrees, from the epicenter to the nearest reporting station
`earthquakes.0.rms`	number	`0.27`	Root-mean-square travel time residual of the seismic stations used to locate the event, in seconds
`earthquakes.0.gap`	number	`34`	Largest azimuthal gap, in degrees, between adjacent reporting stations
`earthquakes.0.magType`	string	`ml`	Method or algorithm used to calculate the reported magnitude
`earthquakes.0.type`	string	`earthquake`	Type of seismic event, e.g. earthquake or quarry blast
`earthquakes.0.title`	string	`M 1.6 - 2 km NW of Sylmar, CA`	Formatted summary combining the magnitude and place, e.g. 'M 2.5 - 3 km ESE of Camarillo, CA'
`earthquakes.0.coordinates`	array	`[-118.464666666667,34.3231666666667]`	Epicenter location as [longitude, latitude]
`earthquakes.0.depthKm`	number	`4.21`	Depth of the hypocenter below the surface, in kilometers
`earthquakes.0.id`	string	`ci41352567`	USGS event ID, stable across updates to the event
`earthquakes.0.url`	string	`https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41352567`	USGS event page with maps, felt reports and ShakeMap
`earthquakes.0.distanceKm`Premium	number	`37`	Distance from lat/lon to the epicenter in kilometers; present only when lat and lon are given
`daily`Premium	array[30]		One row per UTC day for the last 30 days, oldest first; today is the day so far (when daily=true)
`daily.0.date`Premium	string	`2026-09-28`	UTC date (YYYY-MM-DD)
`daily.0.count`Premium	number	`395`	Earthquakes recorded that day
`daily.0.maxMagnitude`Premium	number	`5.4`	Largest magnitude that day; null when no event had one
`daily.0.m45Count`Premium	number	`34`	Earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or more that day

Why ground on it

A model can produce something that looks like this answer from its training data, and be confidently out of date or simply wrong. This source returns the current value in a shape you can check, which is the difference between an answer you can cite and one you have to hedge.

Point an evaluation at earthquakes_LastUpdated: it is the field most worth pinning a claim to, and it is either present and current or absent — never plausibly invented.

Failure modes

Errors come back as tool errors carrying a sentence the model can act on, not a bare status code. Error handling covers the full list.

Status	What it means
`400` / `422`	The arguments did not validate. The message names the offending one.
`401`	The OAuth session is invalid or expired — reconnect the server.
`403`	Blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Never a bad identity.
`404`	This source is not part of VerveContext. Check the catalog.
`429`	Out of credits, or a brief rate limit. The message tells them apart.

A call costs 2 credits each time the tool actually runs; a model that reasons about the tool without calling it costs nothing.

Use cases

Emergency Alerting Systems: When a tremor occurs, disaster response platforms trigger push alerts based on magnitude, epicenter coordinates, and tsunami warning indicators.
Travel Safety Trackers: Trip planning apps display nearby seismic activity and citizen felt reports along travel routes to warn tourists of active tremors.
Infrastructure Risk Monitoring: To protect bridges and pipelines, civil engineering teams log seismic intensity metrics and epicenter proximity to schedule structural safety inspections.
Geoscience Educational Maps: Interactive classroom dashboards map live earthquake epicenters with magnitude summaries and felt reports straight from USGS records.

Other ways to use Earthquake Grounding Data for AI Agents

Set up Earthquake Grounding Data for AI Agents on VerveContext, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveContext account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Call it as a REST APIOne HTTPS endpoint and an x-api-key header, with SDKs for Node, Python and .NET.APIVerve →Reference →

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.VerveKit →Reference →

Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.VerveSheets →Reference →