API documentation

A JSON REST API over the same USGS-sourced record as this site. Authenticate with a bearer key, pay per request from prepaid credits, and read the remaining balance in every response.

Authentication

Create a key in your dashboard and send it as Authorization: Bearer qw_live_…. A key is shown once, and we store only a hash.

GET /api/v1/near · 1 credit

curl "https://quakewatch.beer/api/v1/near?lat=34.05&lon=-118.24&radius_km=100&days=7&min_mag=2.5" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer qw_live_YOUR_KEY"

{
  "query": { "lat": 34.05, "lon": -118.24, "radius_km": 100, "days": 7, "min_mag": 2.5 },
  "count": 1,
  "earthquakes": [
    {
      "id": "ci40000000",
      "time": "2026-10-24T08:12:41.000Z",
      "magnitude": 3.1,
      "magnitude_type": "ml",
      "place": "5 km NW of Example, CA",
      "latitude": 34.12,
      "longitude": -118.31,
      "depth_km": 8.4,
      "felt_reports": 12,
      "tsunami_flag": false,
      "distance_km": 9.6,
      "usgs_url": "https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci40000000"
    }
  ],
  "attribution": "Earthquake data: U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). Places: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).",
  "credits_charged": 1,
  "credits_remaining": 499
}

GET /api/v1/recent · 1 credit

Parameters: min_mag (default 4.5), hours (1 to 720, default 24), limit (default 100, max 500) and sort (time or magnitude).

GET /api/v1/summary · 2 credits

Parameters: lat, lon and radius_km (1 to 300, default 100). Returns the nearest city, M2.5+ counts for 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, 1 year and 5 years, the M1+ count for 7 days, the strongest event in 30 days and the largest magnitude in 5 years. Counts describe past activity and are not a hazard assessment.

Errors

Responses carry an X-Credits-Remaining header. Keep the attribution field if you display or redistribute the data. This is an informational service, not an early-warning system.