Earth Tools

A curated hub for watching the planet — a live disaster map and separate trackers for earthquakes, volcanoes, wildfires, tsunamis and drought, plus an interactive world atlas and live climate vital signs. Every tool draws from an official source — USGS, the Smithsonian, NASA, NOAA and more — and runs in your browser with no sign-up. Great for geography and earth-science lessons, or for keeping an eye on hazards near a place you care about. These are catalogues and situational maps, not official warning systems.

How to Use These Earth Tools

Watch the whole planet, then zoom into one hazard.

1

Start with the big picture

Open the Live Disaster Map to see every active hazard on one world map, then tap "Near me" to sort everything by distance from you.

2

Zoom into one hazard

Jump to a dedicated tracker — earthquakes, volcanoes, wildfires, tsunamis or drought — for the full feed from its official source, with filters and detail.

3

Put it in context

Use the World Atlas to explore countries and the Climate Vital Signs to see the long-term trends behind the day's events.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the data come from?
Every tracker draws from an official public source: earthquakes from the USGS, volcanoes from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, wildfires from NASA FIRMS satellite data, tsunami warnings from the US National Weather Service (NOAA), drought from the US Drought Monitor, and climate indicators from NOAA, NASA and NSIDC. The world atlas uses Natural Earth boundaries. The tools fetch these feeds live in your browser and show them on a map or chart.
Are these tools live or updated in real time?
The hazard trackers pull the latest available data from their official feeds each time you open them, so they reflect recent activity. Update frequency depends on the source: earthquakes and fires refresh often, drought weekly, and climate indicators monthly. These are catalogues and situational maps, not official warning systems — always follow local authorities for emergencies.
Are the Earth tools free?
Yes. Every tool here is completely free, needs no sign-up and no API key, and runs entirely in your browser. They are useful for geography and earth-science lessons, for keeping an eye on hazards near a place you care about, and for general curiosity about the planet. Nothing you do is uploaded, and your location — if you use a "Near me" feature — stays on your device.
Do the trackers cover the whole world?
Coverage follows the source. Earthquakes, volcanoes, wildfires and the world atlas are global. Tsunami alerts come from the US National Weather Service and the drought monitor covers the United States, so those two are US-focused. The live disaster map overlays the global hazards together, and the climate vital signs are planet-wide. Each tool notes its coverage and source on the page.