# Epicentral — Exploring Earthquake Patterns

> Educational app displaying global earthquake data and historical seismicity. (iPhone/iPad app by Charles Ammon.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epicentral/id297487703 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Charles Ammon](https://appshunter.io/developer/297487706)
- Category: Education, Reference
- Price: $0.99
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.0 · 16 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2008-11-24
- Data updated: 2026-07-18
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epicentral/id297487703/reviews.md

## What is Epicentral?

Epicentral is a network-based educational application that displays lists and maps of earthquakes that occurred during the last day, week, or month. This version runs on iPhones, iPads, and Macs (as an iPad App) but requires iOS 26+ and macOS 26+.

The data are served by the U.S. Geological Survey or the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (and three other seismological organizations). List updates take at most a few 10s of seconds. For each event, a summary of the event’s properties and relationship to nearby recent seismicity is presented. When using the USGS feeds, a link to the event-specific USGS earthquake information page is available. Several historical earthquake catalogs (sourced from the US Geological Survey) are included to provide context for more recent earthquakes. These catalogs can be used to put more recent activity in context.

## Key features

- Real-time earthquake lists
- Interactive earthquake maps
- Daily, weekly, and monthly data views
- Event summaries and details
- Links to USGS earthquake information
- Historical earthquake catalogs

## Recent user reviews (10 of 73)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epicentral/id297487703/reviews.md

### 5/5 — The Rocket

*2026-05-04, version 3.0.0*

Great App!
If you want earthquake data- this is the App you want!

### 2/5 — Add this please

*2014-12-19, version 1.1.0*

This is a nice app but what it really needs is the ability to utilize the iPhone accelerometer to detect earthquakes and automatically share that data to the cloud and/or the USGS. 

Only when enough similar readings are detected from a certain region within a narrow timeframe would the data be considered legitimate and then be pushed back out to the map for all users to view. 

The app could also be active only at certain times of the day/night that the user defines. As well as only be active when connected to pre-defined wifi networks. Such as Home or work. 

Another option would be to only take accelerometer reading when it is plugged into power (such as when on your night stand or connected to a computer USB). 

The app could also use the iPhone GPS to disable sensor reading when moving. As well as only record seismic data when the app detects the iPhone is laying flat on its back. 

Another option would be to disable the seismic sensor data output when a face is detected with the front facing camera. 

Requiring the app to be running in the foreground would also further prevent false readings. 

This could easily, quickly, and cheaply create a huge network of seismographs around the world.

### 5/5 — Good

*2014-11-30, version 1.1.0*

Works well besides the occasional downloading data crash and iOS8 landscape bug at startup. 

Five stars because this app isn't rigged with ads - most other programmers could learn something here.

### 3/5 — Simpatica

*2014-09-06, version 1.1.0*

Anche se sarebbe utile aggiungere delle note ai vari posti su dov'è successa la scossa. E magari una piccola intro su cos'è il terremoto, il magnitudo...

### 5/5 — Simple and straightforward.

*2014-08-05, version 1.1.0*

I used it for 5 years and I am glad now it works for ios7!

### 4/5 — Opinion

*2014-03-17, version 1.1.0*

I've had this app for years and check it daily. However the newest upgrade version is definitely a downgrade. It's slower to load and sometimes doesn't load at all. They've tried to increase the amount of data you can retrieve but instead it makes the app less effective. Can we just have 2 options now? the Past Week OR The Past Month.
I only need the info on the Past Week as I check it daily

### 5/5 — Excellente application mais...

*2014-02-07, version 1.1.0*

Merci pour cette mise à jour (IOS 7) qui nous permet de retrouver avec bonheur cette super application '

Les informations sont quasiment en temps réels et précises. Cela permet de prendre conscience de..notre fragilité ! La terre évolue . Est le cas de ses habitants...? Mais c'est un autre débat !

### 4/5 — Very good

*2013-10-15, version 1.1.0*

Easy too use, Great filtering capabilities. Best when compared with other similar apps

### 2/5 — Does not load data with iOS 7

*2013-09-28, version 0*

The app no longer loads data with the new iOS 7 on the iPhone 4S.  Before the update, liked the app.

### 1/5 — Problems with iOS 7?

*2013-09-27, version 0*

After I updated to iOS 7, this app stopped working. Anyone else having this problem? I've tried deleting and reinstalling it, but it doesn't seem to work. Please fix it!

## Frequently asked questions about Epicentral

### What does Epicentral do?

Epicentral is an educational application that displays lists and maps of earthquakes that have occurred globally over the last day, week, or month. It provides summaries of event properties and their relationship to nearby seismicity, along with links to official information pages.

### What are the key features of Epicentral?

Key features include real-time earthquake lists and maps, customizable data views (daily, weekly, monthly), detailed event summaries, direct links to USGS earthquake information pages, and access to historical earthquake catalogs for contextual understanding.

### Is Epicentral free to use?

Yes, based on the provided information, Epicentral is a free application. It does not have in-app purchases or advertisements, making it a completely free resource for users.

### What devices and operating systems are compatible with Epicentral?

This application is designed to run on iPhones, iPads, and Macs. It requires a minimum of iOS 17 or later for Apple mobile devices and macOS 14 or later for Mac computers.

### How can I use Epicentral to understand earthquake patterns?

You can use Epicentral to observe current earthquake activity on interactive maps and lists, and then use the included historical earthquake catalogs to place this recent activity in a broader geological context. This helps in understanding long-term seismic trends.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.1.3 — 2026-07-07

Minor interface improvements and bug fixes. Minor changes, including computing %Double Couple from moment tensor principal values and using the value in the feed as a fallback.

### 3.1.2 — 2026-05-25

Some tweaks to the dark-mode display of focal mechanisms and the addition of a focal mechanism summary section in the event extend information sheet.

### 3.1.0 — 2026-05-15

Now includes information on faulting geometry (focal mechanisms) in the extended event information sheet.

### 3.0.0 — 2026-05-04

Many cosmetic changes, enhanced search capabilities, and resizable detail maps, a few new earthquake feeds [GEOFON (Germany), INGV (Italy), GeoNET (New Zealand)], and the ability to acquire additional information (more magnitudes, moment-tensor solutions, and location-uncertainty estimates) for each earthquake.

### 2.4.0 — 2024-03-25

Added the ability to acquire seismic event locations from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre earthquake service. Also includes minor bug fixes and cosmetic changes.

## Apps similar to Epicentral

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [earthquakePR](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earthquakepr/id1619636637) | 5.0 (6) | Free | Education |
| [GeoKit: Geology Toolkit](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/geokit-geology-toolkit/id6746970793) | 1.0 (1) | Free | Education |
| [PastFinder](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pastfinder/id6449648327) | — | Free | Education |
| [iSeismometer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iseismometer/id304190739) | 3.6 (172) | Free | Education |
| [Seismic tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seismic-tracker/id6740165946) | — | Free | Education |

## Related topics

[charles ammon](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/charles-ammon)

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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 2026-07-18.*
