Open Earth Orchestra and press “Listen to Earth” → The map comes alive; sound starts after a click, as browsers require. Each visit uses recent measurements, so the score changes over time.
Where the notes come from
USGS publishes a feed of earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater from the last 24 hours. I take at most 24 events, ranked by magnitude. NOAA publishes Kp, a measure of geomagnetic activity.
The mapping is deliberately simple: magnitude raises volume and dot size; longitude selects a note from a seven-note scale; Kp raises the tempo and, at 5 or above, makes the timbre rougher. Each glowing circle is one event. The page synthesizes sound with Web Audio, with no prerecorded MP3.
This is an artistic mapping of data. Do not use the music to judge earthquake severity or solar-storm risk: use the original bulletins for that.
The n8n workflow, node by node
- GET webhook: starts a request for a fresh score.
- USGS earthquakes: reads the public GeoJSON feed.
- NOAA solar activity: reads the latest available Kp index.
- Compose planet score: ranks events and calculates pitch, position, volume, duration and tempo.
- Return score: returns JSON that any Web Audio interface can play.
Download the n8n workflow (JSON) → Activate the webhook after importing. No API keys are required. The workflow produces the score; the public demo uses a small cached PHP endpoint to read the same sources while keeping the browser's network policy strict. Playback and animation run in the browser.
Why build it this way?
I wanted an automation you could hear, instead of another dashboard. A five-minute cache avoids hammering USGS and NOAA. If a source is unavailable, a clearly labelled demo score takes over. No audio recording or visitor personal data is sent to those services.
Try it with headphones: open Earth Orchestra. For more projects, browse all n8n workflows.