1. Start with the overview
The home screen shows the available USGS catalog and its update time. Open a record to see the event time, source status and depth. The download time is not the earthquake time.
2. Choose a region
In your profile, choose Add region. Find a built-in city or enter a name and coordinates. Latitude must be between −90 and90, longitude between −180 and180. A radius controls the regional selection; GPS permission is not needed.
3. Make the map your own
Use the map icon in the bottom menu. Filter by magnitude, time and depth, or change sorting. The layer controls let you show volcanoes or OSM streets. Street tiles require an internet connection.
4. Save discoveries
Use the bookmark in an earthquake or volcano detail. Find your saved items in your profile after a restart. Changing languages does not change discovery identifiers.
5. Connect the science
Visit the academy. Each of the 20 lessons has simple and detailed explanations, a model and a question. Model parameters help explore relationships; they do not generate forecasts.
6. Prepare before you need it
Open the safety topics and family checklist. Both are bundled with the app. Load a catalog in advance; saved events cannot update without a connection.
7. Choose what is comfortable
Your profile offers 12 languages, theme preferences, kilometers or miles, UTC display and reduced motion. Names of custom places remain as you entered them.
8. Manage local data
Delete local data in the profile asks for confirmation. It resets preferences, bookmarks, regions, the checklist and saved snapshots. Public feeds may download again afterward; OS backups and third-party records are not erased.