What we can say
- The USGS catalog gives each point an event, magnitude, time and coordinate.
- The snapshot covers the world through 13 August 2026, at the M2.5 threshold.
- The energy share comes from the same magnitudes and a public formula.
Global catalog · M2.5 threshold · 1 January to 13 August13 August 2026, 00:00 UTC
I counted the earthquakes through 13 August 2026
The same year. Two measures.
By 13 August, the USGS catalog contains 17,373 earthquakes at magnitude 2.5 or greater. The top ten account for 78.1% of the estimated energy. The year changes shape when you switch from count to energy.
WORLD / M2.5+
M7+ M6 M5
Scroll. Let the map change the question. Each point is an earthquake, sized by magnitude.
Points follow catalog coordinates. The lines mark latitude and longitude. The seismic concentrations are the geography on the map.
Raise the thresholdThis is where the story changes
Count tells us how often. Energy tells us how big.
The list contains thousands of small events and a few large ruptures. Count them and every point looks equal. Apply the energy formula and ten large earthquakes change the picture.
17,373earthquakes at M2.5 or higherM2,5+ · 13 August 2026, 00:00 UTC
78.1%of estimated energy, top 10Calculated from the same magnitudes
M7.8largest earthquake25 km southwest of Kablalan, Philippines
THRESHOLD / SCROLL
M7+ M6 M5
Points follow catalog coordinates. The lines mark latitude and longitude. The seismic concentrations are the geography on the map.
| Threshold | Events | Energy share |
|---|---|---|
| M2.5 | 17,373 | 100.0% |
| M3.5 | 10,472 | 100.0% |
| M4.5 | 4,535 | 99.3% |
| M5.5 | 287 | 94.9% |
| M6.5 | 24 | 85.4% |
| M7.0 | 10 | 78.1% |
| M7.5 | 3 | 44.0% |
Raise the threshold
Raise the threshold. Thousands of points disappear.
Choose the smallest magnitude to include. The map removes smaller events, while the figures show how much energy remains. At M7.5, three events remain.
M2.5At M2.5, all 17,373 events are included. At M7.5, three remain.
How should the map count?
every event has the same weight
17,373events left
100%of the M2.5+ estimated energy
17,373visible points
Ten points change the calculation
The top ten earthquakes account for 78.1% of the estimated energy.
I applied the USGS relationship log10 E = 1.5 × M + 4.8 to each magnitude, with E in joules. The constant does not change the proportions. Magnitude rises slowly. Energy rises exponentially.
78.1%of the estimated energy in all 17,373 events
This compares radiated seismic energy. It does not measure damage, people affected, or the intensity felt in a particular place.
The ten events that change the result
The bar shows each event's share of total energy. Color marks magnitude, not risk. Red means M7+, amber M6 to 6.9, turquoise M5 to 5.9. The rest are graphite.
Count and energy part ways
June did not have the most earthquakes. It had the most energy.
April had the most events, 2,595. June had 2,453, but the M7.8 Philippines earthquake plus several M7 and M6 events pushed its energy share to 43.3%.
event countshare of calculated energy
Jan
2,2912.4%
Feb
2,1093.8%
Mar
2,48417.0%
Apr
2,59514.6%
May
2,2193.6%
Jun
2,45343.3%
Jul
2,4348.1%
Aug
7887.1%
Earthquake count and estimated energy by month for M2.5+ events in the snapshot.
Where the catalog stops
A catalog is not a person's experience.
What this cannot tell us
- Networks detect small events differently. The catalog is more complete for larger events.
- Magnitude describes size at the source. Intensity describes what was felt in a particular place.
- Calculated energy alone cannot tell us how severe an earthquake was for people or buildings.
Next time someone says a year was "full of earthquakes", ask what they are counting. Events? Energy? Or what people felt?
Where the numbers come from
The catalog, the formula and what the calculation leaves out
Every view starts with the same USGS snapshot. The date range and threshold stay visible, so you know exactly what is being compared.
How I calculated it
I selected earthquake events between 1 January 2026 and 13 August 2026, with a minimum magnitude of 2.5. I excluded mining explosions, quarry blasts and other event types. For comparative energy I used the USGS formula log10 E = 1.5 × M + 4.8. Results are rounded to one decimal place where relevant.
Accessed 13 August 2026
PRIMARY DATA
USGS Earthquake Catalog API
The 17,373 earthquake events in the snapshot, with magnitude, time, coordinates, depth and event link.
Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog APIMETHOD
USGS, Table-Top Earthquakes
The energy formula in joules. One magnitude step means roughly 32 times more energy.
Source: USGS, Table-Top EarthquakesCONTEXT
USGS, Earthquake Magnitude, Energy Release, and Shaking Intensity
The difference between magnitude and intensity, and why large events dominate energy.
Source: USGS, Earthquake Magnitude, Energy Release, and Shaking Intensity2026 STUDY
An entropic explanation for Gutenberg-Richter scaling
A JGR Solid Earth paper about Gutenberg-Richter distributions in earthquake catalogs.
Source: An entropic explanation for Gutenberg-Richter scalingDOCUMENTATION
USGS Earthquake Catalog API documentation
Time, magnitude, event type, format and limit parameters for catalog queries.
Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog API documentationNext time someone says a year was "full of earthquakes", ask what they are counting. Events? Energy? Or what people felt?
Scroll. Let the map change the question. Each point is an earthquake, sized by magnitude.