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Terminology. An earthquake is the shaking of the surface of Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes may also be referred to as quakes, tremors, or temblors. The word tremor is also used for non-earthquake seismic rumbling .
San Francisco, California earthquake, sometime in 1906. An earthquake is when Earth's tectonic plates shake and move Earth's surface. Strong earthquakes damage buildings. Disturbances in the Earth cause earthquakes. Different tectonic plates are slowly moving. When they get stuck, tension builds up in them.
They range from weak events detectable only by seismometers, to sudden and violent events lasting many minutes which have caused some of the greatest disasters in human history. Below, earthquakes are listed by period, region or country, year, magnitude, cost, fatalities, and number of scientific studies.
4 days ago · Earthquake, any sudden shaking of the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves through Earth’s rocks. Earthquakes occur most often along geologic faults, narrow zones where rock masses move in relation to one another. Learn more about the causes and effects of earthquakes in this article.
Oct 19, 2023 · Hundreds of earthquakes occur on Earth everyday. Most of them are small, barely detectable by most people. But occasionally there is a much more significant quake. On average, a major earthquake —one with a magnitude of 7.0-7.9—strikes somewhere on the planet more than once a month.
Historical earthquakes is a list of significant earthquakes known to have occurred prior to the early 20th century. As the events listed here occurred before routine instrumental recordings, seismotomography imaging technique, [1] later detections using space satellites from outer space [2] — they rely mainly on the analysis of written ...
In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event—whether natural or caused by humans—that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults, but also by other events such as volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests.
Sep 14, 2023 · In February 2023, a large area of Turkey and Syria was devastated by two major earthquakes that hit in close succession. As a geologist, I study the forces that cause earthquakes. Here’s why ...
Feb 6, 2023 · Here's what you need to know about where earthquakes typically occur, how earthquakes are measured, and the damage that the strongest earthquakes can cause.
6 days ago · Earthquake is a name for seismic activity on Earth, but Earth isn’t the only place with seismic activity. Scientists have measured quakes on Earth's Moon, and see evidence for seismic activity on Mars, Venus and several moons of Jupiter, too!
