# EarthViewer

> Interactive exploration of Earth's geological and climate history over billions of years. (iPhone/iPad app by Howard Hughes Medical Institute.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earthviewer/id590208430 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Howard Hughes Medical Institute](https://appshunter.io/developer/411540290)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 101 App Store ratings · 124 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 9.3 · 108 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2013-01-31
- Data updated: 2026-07-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earthviewer/id590208430/reviews.md

## What is EarthViewer?

What did Earth’s continents and oceans look like 250 million years ago, or even 1 billion years ago? What do we know about the climate back when our planet formed? How has sea level changed since the melting of the last ice age and what does the future hold?

EarthViewer is like a time machine for exploring Earth’s deep history. Based on the latest scientific research, it lets you scroll through the last 4.5 billion years with your fingertips. Follow a favorite landmark, be it Greenland or New York City, as its position shifts through time, or watch a famous fossil like Tiktaalik make an incredible journey from its origin to its current location. Layer your view of shifting continents with data on atmospheric composition, temperature, biodiversity, day length, and solar luminosity, to get a more complete view of our dynamic planet. 

EarthViewer features include:
 
• Continental reconstructions and accompanying data dating back billions of years
• Sea level maps for the last 21,000 year and for 8,000 years into the future
• Global temperature maps for the last 100+ years
• Ability to manipulate the globe and zoom to any location
• Locations of modern cities tracked back over 500 million years
• In-depth features on major geological and biological events in Earth history
• Clickable details on geologic eons, eras, and periods 
• Automated play modes 
• Animations between globe and flat map projections
• Extensive reference list 
• Suggestions for classroom use

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a non-profit medical research organization that ranks as one of the nation’s largest philanthropies. HHMI’s BioInteractive initiative opens a window on cutting-edge science through interactive web features, short films, virtual labs, and scientific animations. Since teachers play a pivotal role in launching the careers of future scientists and in helping the public understand the beauty and import of science, the BioInteractive team partners with the teaching community to create and distribute media that is engaging and relevant to the science curriculum.

## Key features

- Continental reconstructions over billions of years
- Sea level and temperature maps
- Track landmark and fossil movements
- Visualize atmospheric composition and biodiversity
- Explore geological eons, eras, and periods
- Automated play modes and animations

## What do users think of EarthViewer?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🌍 Comprehensive geological history visualization from 4.6 billion years ago to present
- 📚 Excellent educational resource for teachers and students
- 🎨 Beautiful and intuitive interface design
- 🆓 Free app with extensive features and data
- 🔄 Smooth continental drift animation and timeline controls
- 📊 Integrated charts showing temperature, CO2, and oxygen levels
- 🎯 Multiple overlay layers for geological events and fossil discoveries
- 🌐 Interactive globe with zoom and pan capabilities
- 💡 Innovative approach to presenting complex geological concepts
- 🏫 Highly valued by geologists and educators for classroom use

**Cons**

- 🚫 Cannot exit app without force-closing or restarting device
- 🐛 App freezes when switching between map projections
- 📱 Not optimized for newer iOS versions
- 🌏 Australia appears incorrectly in ancient Earth viewer
- 🔲 Grid coordinates (lat/lon) not displaying properly
- 👁️ Globe transparency and distorted image issues on newer devices
- ⏱️ Timeline controls difficult to manipulate smoothly
- 🗺️ Limited detail for recent geological periods (Pleistocene ice ages)
- 🎮 Lacks smooth morphing transitions between time periods
- ❌ No 2D map option for easier continent tracking

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App cannot be closed normally - requires force quit or device restart
- App freezes when switching from flat map to globe view
- Australia appears in incorrect locations in ancient Earth viewer
- Grid coordinates (latitude/longitude) not displaying
- Globe transparency and image distortion on iPad
- Geological Events toggle switch not functioning
- Incompatible with iOS 13 and newer versions
- Timeline scrolling limited when entire era not visible
- App won't open or close on some devices
- Hadean Epoch atmosphere incorrectly shown as blue
- Antarctica appearance inconsistent between Paleo and Ice Age views
- Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum information inaccurate

**Most requested features**

- Add Pangea Proxima/Pangea Ultima supercontinent visualization
- Add Kenorland supercontinent (2500 Mya)
- Include future Earth continental drift predictions (0-250 million years)
- Add Pleistocene ice age details with smaller time increments
- Include ground-level view of Earth with animals and landscapes
- Add 2D map projection option (Plate Carree, Mollweide)
- Add period/stage names to timeline
- Implement location services to show current user location
- Add search functionality for extinct species
- Increase zoom capability for detailed regional analysis
- Add plate tectonics layer with labeled plates and spreading zones
- Include other planets and solar system formation
- Add French language support
- Add smooth video-like morphing between time periods
- Fixed rotation axis option for Earth
- Multiple globe views from different vantage points

## Recent user reviews (10 of 124)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earthviewer/id590208430/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Disingenuous App

*2026-06-30, version 2.1*

This app is fairly accurate up until about the last hundred years when the images become completely disingenuous

If you go back to the Cambrian and Ordovician, the app shows planetary temperatures to be 25 to 30°C with 5000 ppm CO2. But fast-forward to the last hundred years and the CO2 content of the atmosphere shows 380-400 ppm and mean temp of 15.5 (half that of the Ordovician.
 
But the Ordovician image is bluish green and very “cool” an appearance.  The so-called Anthropocene is red and orange like the Earth is extremely hot despite the fact that it’s half the temperature observed 450 million years ago and 1/10 the concentration of CO2

As a professional earth scientist, this makes me want to vomit. It’s so blatantly obvious what this app is trying to do. At least be more scientific and accurate in your presentation.

### 4/5 — Good

*2026-05-12, version 2.1*

I have the desktop I went to go look at rodina but it didn't line up I went past rodina and that Correlated to before rodina

### 1/5 — EarthViewer needs an update!

*2026-01-06, version 2.1*

I installed this app several years ago, had completely forgotten about it.  Ran across it tonight, fired it up, very cool Geologic History simulation!  BUT … the only way to exit the app is to power cycle my iPhone!  The normal screen gestures to access are disabled by this app.  It appears to have not been updated for a very long time.

### 5/5 — Forget something

*2025-03-22, version 2.1*

This is a good app but where's pangea proxima? Can you add pangea proxima?

### 5/5 — KENORLAND!

*2025-03-16, version 2.1*

So I love this game but please add supercontinent Kenorland. Formed 2500 Mya

### 2/5 — I love this app

*2025-01-07, version 2.1*

I’ve shown it to many many people since I first discovered it.  However what happened to the latest version? The grid no longer shows lat/lon at the chosen age, the globe is transparent and there are some other distorted images across everything. This is on a new ipad and I can send clips if it helps.

### 5/5 — Great app

*2024-11-29, version 2.1*

This app is really great! Shows the whole history of earth’s surface as well as a bunch of other features.
However there is a weird bug where Australia appears in a bunch of the images in the ancient earth viewer.

### 4/5 — pleasepleaseplease add Pangea proxima or Auriga plzplz

*2024-06-11, version 2.1*

Good game, I’ve been usung it so much recently, but can you please add Pangea proxima😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭I need it desperately bc you haven’t added it in months😔😥please add Pangea ultimate sooner or later

### 5/5 — Impressive

*2024-04-09, version 2.1*

Lol

### 1/5 — How to exit?

*2024-03-31, version 2.1*

App really good except can’t exit once loaded on my 5G iPhone.  Have to shut phone down.

## Frequently asked questions about EarthViewer

### What does EarthViewer do?

EarthViewer acts as an interactive time machine, allowing users to explore Earth's history over the last 4.5 billion years. It visualizes the movement of continents, changes in oceans, and historical climate data, offering a comprehensive view of our planet's evolution.

### What are the key features of EarthViewer?

Key features include continental reconstructions dating back billions of years, sea level and global temperature maps, the ability to track the movement of landmarks and fossils, and visualizations of atmospheric composition, biodiversity, and day length. It also offers automated play modes and animations between globe and flat map projections.

### Is EarthViewer free to use?

Yes, EarthViewer is a free application. It does not have any in-app purchases or advertisements, making it accessible for all users interested in exploring Earth's history.

### Who is EarthViewer designed for?

EarthViewer is primarily designed for students and educators to supplement science curricula, but it is also suitable for anyone with an interest in geology, paleontology, climate science, and the deep history of our planet.

### How can I use EarthViewer in a classroom setting?

The application provides suggestions for classroom use, making it a valuable tool for teaching Earth science concepts. Educators can use its interactive features to demonstrate continental drift, past climates, and the evolution of life over geological time.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.1 — 2017-06-19

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

NEW - Added iPhone Compatibility!

### 2.0.2 — 2017-05-02

* Minor bug fixes
* Refined flat map option for smoother zooming

### 2.0.1 — 2017-04-23

•  Totally new graphics and user interface
•  Animated transitions between globe and flat projections
•  Added sea level data since the last ice age and projected into the future
•  Minor bug fixes and stability improvements

### 2.0 — 2017-04-20

•  Totally new graphics and user interface
•  Animated transitions between globe and flat projections
•  Added sea level data since the last ice age and projected into the future

### 1.1 — 2013-08-27

• A new feature to track famous fossil sites through time 
• Added new cities and impact events
• Added new geological events
• Tapping on site and event markers will rotate Earth to center on that location
• Start-up screen shows a tutorial for timeline pinch gesture
• Tapping compass button re-orients Earth's poles
• Improved playback controls

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## More apps by Howard Hughes Medical Institute

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All apps by Howard Hughes Medical Institute: https://appshunter.io/developer/411540290

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-10.*