How to Use the IRIS Earthquake Browser URL Builder to Link Specific EventsThe IRIS Earthquake Browser is a powerful tool for exploring seismic events, viewing waveform data, and sharing precise views of earthquakes with colleagues, students, or the public. Its URL Builder lets you create links that reproduce specific map views, selected events, time windows, filters, and display layers — perfect for reproducible research, teaching demonstrations, or reporting. This article walks through practical steps to build URLs that link directly to particular seismic events, explains common parameters, and offers tips and examples for common use cases.
Overview: what the URL Builder does and why it’s useful
The IRIS Earthquake Browser (also known as the “IRIS Seismic Monitor” or related web mapping tools) provides interactive maps and event lists. The URL Builder encodes map state — such as the center point, zoom level, selected event ID, time range, and visible overlays — into a shareable link. That link, when opened by someone else, recreates the exact view and selection, ensuring everyone sees the same context and data.
Use cases:
- Sharing a specific earthquake with students during a lecture.
- Embedding a link in a research paper or report to point to an example event.
- Distributing a set of curated events to a team for review.
- Creating teaching exercises where students inspect the same event and answer questions.
Accessing the URL Builder
- Open the IRIS Earthquake Browser in your web browser.
- Navigate to the map and events view showing the earthquake(s) of interest.
- Look for share/export options — often represented by a “share” icon, a “link” button, or a menu item labeled “Permalink,” “Share,” or “URL Builder.”
- Click that option to open the URL Builder modal or panel. The builder will display the generated URL and may present options to customize which elements to include (map extent, time window, overlays, etc.).
Key components of the URL
A typical IRIS Earthquake Browser URL includes parameters that control the view. While exact parameter names can vary with interface updates, common components include:
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Event identifier (ID): specifies the exact earthquake to highlight.
Example: eventid=us7000abcd -
Time window: start and end times (or a window relative to the event).
Example: starttime=2024-01-01T00:00:00Z&endtime=2024-01-01T06:00:00Z -
Map center and zoom: latitude, longitude, and zoom level for the map view.
Example: lat=34.05&lon=-118.24&zoom=5 -
Layers/overlays: toggles for station markers, fault traces, tectonic plates, or other data layers.
Example: layers=stations,faults -
Filters: magnitude, depth, or network filters to restrict event lists.
Example: minmag=4.5&maxdepth=70 -
Display options: map type (satellite/topo), marker sizes, or color coding.
Example: basemap=satellite
Not every builder exposes every parameter; the UI usually offers checkboxes and menus so you don’t need to type parameters manually.
Step-by-step: linking a specific event
Follow these steps to create a link that opens the browser focused on a single event:
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Locate the event
- Use the search bar, timeline, catalog, or map to find the earthquake you want to link.
- Click the event to open its details panel.
-
Select or confirm the event
- Ensure the event is highlighted and its event ID is displayed in the details (often labeled as “Event ID”, “ComCat ID”, or similar).
- If there are multiple events at the same location/time, confirm you have the intended one.
-
Open the share/URL Builder
- Click the share or permalink option from the event details or from the site header/footer.
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Choose options to include
- Include the event ID (this is essential to link the specific event).
- Optionally include the map view (center/zoom) so the map centers on the event when opened.
- Optionally include a time window, station overlays, and other layers that help viewers interpret the event.
-
Copy the generated URL
- Use the provided “Copy” button or select the URL and copy it to clipboard.
-
Test the link
- Open the link in a new browser window or send it to a colleague to confirm it reproduces the intended view and selection.
Example URLs and explanation
Below are hypothetical example parameter combinations that illustrate common needs. Replace parameter names/values with those your instance of the IRIS Earthquake Browser uses if they differ.
- Basic event link (highlights the event) https://earthquake-browser.iris.org/?eventid=us7000abcd
Explanation: eventid=us7000abcd tells the browser to load and highlight that specific earthquake.
- Event link with map center and zoom https://earthquake-browser.iris.org/?eventid=us7000abcd&lat=34.05&lon=-118.24&zoom=6
Explanation: Adds lat, lon, and zoom so the map is centered around Los Angeles at zoom level 6.
- Event + time window + layers https://earthquake-browser.iris.org/?eventid=us7000abcd&starttime=2024-08-01T00:00:00Z&endtime=2024-08-01T06:00:00Z&layers=stations,tectonic
Explanation: Opens the event and shows seismic stations and tectonic plate boundaries for the specified time window.
Tips for reliable sharing
- Use the event ID rather than relying on map location alone; event IDs uniquely identify events even if catalogs are updated.
- Specify a map center and zoom if the event lies near map edges or you want to emphasize regional context.
- Include a short time window when sharing waveform or station observations so viewers see the same temporal context.
- Keep links concise if possible — long URLs can be cleaned by only including necessary parameters.
- Test links in an incognito window or on another device to ensure they recreate the intended state for users who aren’t logged in (if the site has login-specific settings).
- If you’ll share many event links, consider a short-link service that preserves query parameters.
Troubleshooting common issues
- Link doesn’t highlight the event: confirm the event ID is correct and still present in the catalog. Earthquake catalogs can be updated and very small or reclassified events can be removed.
- Map looks different for others: check if you included map center/zoom; without them, the recipient’s default map view might differ.
- Overlays or layers missing: some layers may require additional permissions or may load from different services that are temporarily unavailable.
- Time zone confusion: use ISO 8601 UTC (e.g., 2024-08-01T00:00:00Z) to avoid localization issues.
Advanced: programmatic URL generation
If you need to generate many links (for class exercises, batch reports, or automated alerts), construct URLs programmatically:
- From scripts (Python, R, JavaScript), format strings with the event ID and desired parameters.
- When generating time windows, compute start/end in UTC and URL-encode any reserved characters.
- If embedding links in HTML or Markdown, use proper escaping for ampersands (&) and other special characters.
Example (Python snippet):
base = "https://earthquake-browser.iris.org/" params = { "eventid": "us7000abcd", "lat": 34.05, "lon": -118.24, "zoom": 6 } from urllib.parse import urlencode url = base + "?" + urlencode(params) print(url) Example teaching exercise
- Create a list of five event IDs representing different magnitudes and depths.
- Generate links with the URL Builder that center each event and include station overlays.
- Ask students to open each link and answer questions:
- Which stations recorded the largest amplitude?
- How does depth affect the distribution of felt reports?
- Compare waveform shapes across stations at different azimuths.
This reproducible approach ensures everyone inspects the same data.
Closing notes
The IRIS Earthquake Browser URL Builder is a straightforward but powerful way to make seismic data views reproducible and shareable. Focusing on the event ID, map centering, and a clear time window will cover most needs. When creating multiple links, automate URL generation to save time and ensure consistency.
If you want, I can generate example URLs for specific event IDs you provide or create a small script for batch link creation.
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