Search the USGS earthquake catalog (FDSNWS event API) for real-time and historical seismic events. Filter by time window, magnitude, depth, and a circular geographic area. Returns a compact list of quakes with magnitude, location, time, coordinates, depth, and significance. Keyless.
AI agents call search_earthquakes to retrieve information from Usgs Earthquakes without modifying anything — typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
limit | number | — | Max events to return (default 20, max 100). |
end_time | string | — | ISO date/time upper bound, e.g. "2026-06-09". Defaults to now. |
latitude | number | — | Center latitude for a circular search (use with longitude + max_radius_km). |
order_by | string | — | Sort order: "time" (newest first, default), "magnitude" (largest first), "time-asc", or "magnitude-asc". |
longitude | number | — | Center longitude for a circular search (use with latitude + max_radius_km). |
start_time | string | — | ISO date/time lower bound, e.g. "2026-06-01" or "2026-06-01T00:00:00". Defaults to 30 days ago. |
max_depth_km | number | — | Maximum hypocenter depth in km. |
min_depth_km | number | — | Minimum hypocenter depth in km. |
max_magnitude | number | — | Maximum magnitude. |
max_radius_km | number | — | Search radius in km around latitude/longitude. |
min_magnitude | number | — | Minimum magnitude (e.g. 5 for M5+). |
Parameters from the server's own tool schema.
This tool performs pure data retrieval from a public earthquake database. It accepts query parameters (time, magnitude, depth, geographic filters) but only returns structured data about historical and real-time seismic events. There are no side effects, irreversible actions, code execution, or financial implications.
From the tool's definition The tool description explicitly states it "Search[es] the USGS earthquake catalog" and "Returns a compact list of quakes with magnitude, location, time, coordinates, depth, and significance." It filters and retrieves seismic event data with no modification,…
Risk signalsHigh parameter count (11 properties)
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
Search the USGS earthquake catalog (FDSNWS event API) for real-time and historical seismic events. Filter by time window, magnitude, depth, and a circular geographic area. Returns a compact list of quakes with magnitude, location, time, coordinates, depth, and significance. Keyless. It is categorised as a Read tool in the Usgs Earthquakes MCP Server, which means it retrieves data without modifying state.
search_earthquakes accepts 11 parameters: limit, end_time, latitude, order_by, longitude, start_time, max_depth_km, min_depth_km, max_magnitude, max_radius_km, min_magnitude. The full parameter table on this page comes from the server's own tool schema.
Register the Usgs Earthquakes MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for search_earthquakes: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches Usgs Earthquakes. Nothing to install.
search_earthquakes is a Read tool with low risk. Read-only tools are generally safe to allow by default.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the search_earthquakes rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for search_earthquakes. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
search_earthquakes is provided by the Usgs Earthquakes MCP server (pipeworx-io/mcp-usgs-earthquakes). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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