Visualization

Explore interactive maps, charts, and advanced seismological visualizations for comprehensive earthquake data analysis.

Overview

The Earthquake Catalogue Platform provides comprehensive visualization tools for exploring and analyzing earthquake data:

  • Interactive Maps: Leaflet-based maps with clustering and multiple base layers

  • Uncertainty Visualization: Error ellipses showing location confidence

  • Focal Mechanisms: Beach ball diagrams for fault plane solutions

  • Station Coverage: Network geometry and azimuthal gap display

  • Statistical Charts: Magnitude-frequency, depth, and temporal distributions

  • Quality Analytics: Score distributions and filtering by quality grade

Accessing Visualizations

  • Analytics Page (/analytics): Full visualization dashboard

  • Catalogue View: Click any catalogue, then “View on Map”

  • Event Details: Click any event marker for detailed information

Interactive Maps

Basic Map View

Navigate to Analytics or Catalogues → View on Map

Features:

  • Pan and zoom controls

  • Event markers sized by magnitude

  • Color-coded by depth

  • Click events for details

  • Marker clustering for dense regions

Map Controls:

Control

Action

+ / - buttons

Zoom in/out

Click + Drag

Pan the map

Scroll wheel

Zoom at cursor position

Double-click

Zoom in at point

Click marker

View event details popup

Click cluster

Zoom to show individual events

Color Coding (Default - by Depth):

Color

Depth Range

Red

0-15 km (shallow)

Orange

15-40 km (crustal)

Yellow

40-100 km (upper mantle)

Green

100-300 km (deep)

Blue

300+ km (very deep)

Marker Size:

Markers are scaled by magnitude using a logarithmic scale. Larger events have proportionally larger markers for visual emphasis.

Enhanced Map View

Advanced visualization with:

  • Uncertainty Ellipses: Visual representation of location uncertainty

  • Focal Mechanisms: Beach ball diagrams showing fault plane solutions

  • Station Coverage: Seismic station locations and coverage

  • Azimuthal Gap: Visual indication of network geometry

Enable enhanced features:

  1. Navigate to Analytics page

  2. Toggle “Show Uncertainty Ellipses”

  3. Toggle “Show Focal Mechanisms”

  4. Toggle “Show Stations”

Uncertainty Visualization

Location uncertainties displayed as:

  • Ellipses: Horizontal uncertainty (latitude/longitude)

  • Color coding: Quality grade (A+ = green, F = red)

  • Size: Proportional to uncertainty magnitude

Interpretation:

  • Small ellipse = precise location

  • Large ellipse = uncertain location

  • Circular = equal uncertainty in all directions

  • Elongated = directional uncertainty

Focal Mechanisms

Beach ball diagrams show:

  • Fault plane orientation

  • Slip direction

  • Earthquake type (normal, reverse, strike-slip)

Colors:

  • Black quadrants: Compressional

  • White quadrants: Tensional

Station Coverage

View seismic stations used for event location:

  • Station markers on map

  • Lines connecting stations to event

  • Azimuthal gap visualization

  • Station count and distribution

Quality indicators:

  • Good coverage: Stations surround event, small azimuthal gap

  • Poor coverage: Stations on one side, large azimuthal gap

Charts and Graphs

Magnitude-Frequency Distribution

Gutenberg-Richter plot showing:

  • Event counts by magnitude

  • b-value calculation

  • Completeness magnitude (Mc)

Interpretation:

  • b-value ≈ 1.0: Normal seismicity

  • b-value > 1.0: More small events (aftershocks, swarms)

  • b-value < 1.0: More large events (unusual)

Depth Distribution

Histogram of event depths:

  • Identify depth clusters

  • Distinguish shallow vs. deep seismicity

  • Detect subduction zone signatures

Temporal Patterns

Time series plots showing:

  • Event rate over time

  • Magnitude evolution

  • Cumulative seismic moment

  • Energy release

Features:

  • Identify aftershock sequences

  • Detect swarms and clusters

  • Analyze temporal completeness

Quality Score Distribution

Bar chart showing event counts by quality grade:

A+  ████████████ 450 events
A   ██████████ 380 events
B+  ████████ 290 events
B   ██████ 210 events
C   ████ 150 events
D   ██ 80 events
F   █ 40 events

Seismological Analytics

b-value Analysis

Gutenberg-Richter b-value calculation:

\[\log_{10} N = a - b \cdot M\]

Where:

  • N = number of events ≥ magnitude M

  • b = b-value (typically ~1.0)

  • a = productivity parameter

Completeness Magnitude

Estimate the magnitude above which the catalogue is complete:

  • Maximum curvature method

  • Goodness-of-fit test

  • Visual inspection of magnitude-frequency plot

Seismic Moment

Calculate total seismic moment:

\[M_0 = 10^{(1.5 \cdot M_w + 9.1)}\]

Where M_w is moment magnitude.

Energy Release

Estimate radiated seismic energy:

\[E = 10^{(1.5 \cdot M + 4.8)}\]

Cluster Detection

Identify earthquake clusters and sequences:

  • Temporal clustering (aftershocks)

  • Spatial clustering (swarms)

  • Declustering algorithms

Filtering Data

Apply filters to focus visualization:

Magnitude Range:

Min: 3.0, Max: 8.0

Depth Range:

Min: 0 km, Max: 40 km

Time Range:

Start: 2024-01-01
End: 2024-12-31

Quality Grade:

Minimum: B (good quality)

Geographic Bounds:

Draw a bounding box on the map or enter coordinates.

Map Base Layers

Switch between different base maps:

  • OpenStreetMap: Default, detailed street and terrain

  • Satellite: Aerial/satellite imagery

  • Terrain: Topographic with elevation shading

  • Dark: Dark theme for presentations

Access via the layer control icon in the top-right corner of the map.

Export Visualizations

Save your visualizations for reports and presentations:

Map Export:

  • Use browser screenshot (Print Screen or browser extension)

  • Enable “Hide UI” toggle for clean capture

Chart Export:

  • Click the download icon on each chart

  • Available formats: PNG, SVG

  • SVG recommended for publications (scalable)

Data Export:

  • Apply filters to select events

  • Click “Export Filtered Data”

  • Choose format: CSV, QuakeML, JSON, GeoJSON

See Exporting Data for complete export options.

Best Practices

Effective Visualization

  1. Start zoomed out: Get the big picture first

  2. Apply magnitude filter: Reduce clutter for dense catalogues

  3. Use quality filters: Focus on well-located events for analysis

  4. Toggle features: Turn on uncertainty ellipses for location studies

Presentation Tips

  • Use dark base layer for contrast

  • Filter to show only relevant events

  • Export charts as SVG for publications

  • Include scale bar in map screenshots

Next Steps

See also