LiveScience Topics: Earthquakes

Earthquakes are the result of plate tectonics, or shifting plates in the crust of Earth, and quakes occur when the frictional stress of gliding plate boundaries builds and causes failure at a fault line. In an earthquake, elastic strain energy is released and waves radiate, shaking the ground. Scientists can predict where major temblors might occur in a general sense, but research does not yet allow forecasts for specific locations or accurate predictions of timing. Major earthquakes, some generating tsunamis, have leveled entire cities and affected whole countries. Relatively minor earthquakes can also be induced, or caused by human activity, including extraction of minerals from Earth and the collapse of large buildings.

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Recent Midwest Quakes Called Aftershocks from 1800s

small earthquakes in the New Madrid seismic zone may actually be aftershocks from the large earthquakes that occurred there in 1811 and 1812
Calif. Quake: It's Just a Drill

The Great California ShakeOut will now be held statewide on the third Thursday of October each year.
Building Tsunami-resistant Cities

An engineer studies ways to make coastal cities tsunami-resistant

More Earthquakes News and Information

Major South Pacific Quake Spawns Tsunami

A major earthquake struck in the Somoa Islands region of the South Pacific Ocean.
Japanese Quake Test

In Miki, Japan, a six-story wooden model condominium was shaken by the equivalent of a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The test was said to be the largest simulated earthquake ever attempted with a wooden structure.
Rock 'n' Roll Building Will Survive Violent Earthquakes

Engineers are designing buildings that pull themselves back into plumb as soon as the shaking stops, confining damage to replaceable steel "fuses."
New Flexible Building Survives Powerful Test Earthquake

A new structural enhancement for buildings may prevent damage from earthquakes.
Cloaking Technology May Protect From Natural Disasters

Researchers have developed a cloaking technology that may protect from tsunamis and earthquakes.
Quake Strikes Gulf of California

A powerful earthquake measuring magnitude 6.9 struck the Gulf of California today.
Quake Brings New Zealand Closer to Australia

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake has brought New Zealand 11.8 inches (30 cm) closer to Australia.
West Coast Tsunami Threat Higher than Thought

Study of ancient faults suggests potential tsunamis could be bigger than thought.
Jumbo Squid Wash Ashore After Earthquake

Dozens of large creatures called jumbo Humboldt squid washed up. Nobody knows if the quake was the cause.
Quake Engineer Built Seismograph in 6th Grade

John van de Lindt is leading a team of researchers conducting the NSF NEESWood Capstone tests, the largest shake-table tests in history.
'Cool Toys' Help Scientist Make Geological Predictions

José Andrade of Northwestern University studies liquefaction, a process that causes buildings to sink during earthquakes.
Scary Scenario: Devastating Earthquake Visualized

Imagine what a mag. 7.8 quake would look like if you could see Earth's vibrations from high above southern California. A TeraGrid supercomputer shakes out a scintillating simulation.
Earthquake Predictions Remain Faulty at Best

It is not yet possible. In fact, it won't be for a long, long time.
Complex Geology Behind the Italian Earthquake

Area around Italian earthquake has complicated geologic history.
Midwest Fault System Could Be Shutting Down

The New Madrid fault system might be in the process of shutting down, despite previous forecasts for a big one there.
How to Survive the Coming California Earthquake

For the past several thousand years, there has been a major earthquake south of the San Gabriel Mountains in California every 150 or so. The last one was 300 years ago, just before farming, gold, tourism and technology exploded the human population.
Earthquake Forecasts

Number cruncher John Rundle peers into California's seismic future.
Earth Seen 'Healing' After Big Quake

Satellite radar sees subsidence around fault zone after earthquake.
New Fault Raises Threat of Eastern Earthquakes

A newfound earthquake fault in Arkansas could be the site of a major earthquake.
Yellowstone Earthquake Swarm Puzzles Scientists

A swarm of small earthquakes in Yellowstone National Park are the most intense in years.
2008 a Devastating Year for Natural Disasters

Insurance group ranks this year third for human and financial losses from natural disasters.

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LiveScience Topics: Earthquakes

Explore Earthquakes

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Earthquakes Features

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