Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Earthquakes

Nepal's first solo mission to measure its iconic peak will determine whether Mount Everest lost some of its height after an earthquake in 2015.

Trending Today

Nepalese Expedition Seeks to Find Out if an Earthquake Shrunk Mount Everest

Scientists and climbers have trained for three years to prepare to take various types of survey’s from the summit of the world’s highest peak

Aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

New Research

There Hasn’t Been a Huge Earthquake on California’s Major Fault Lines in 100 Years

Major ground-rupturing quakes have not taken place along the faults since 1918, but that may mean the next century will be on shaky ground

Illustration of NASA's InSight lander about to land on the surface of Mars.

Watch NASA Land the InSight Spacecraft on Mars

The InSight lander has successfully touched down on Mars

Cool Finds

This Remote Control Vest Trains Rescue Dogs Using Flashlights

By aiming little spots of light, handlers can direct their fearless doggos through disaster areas

New Research

World War II Bombing Shockwaves Were Strong Enough to Reach Edge of Space

Analysis of radio records in the ionosphere showed that Allied Forces’ bombing runs over Germany altered the upper atmosphere

A seismic sensor installed in the ice of East Antarctica to monitor Earth's shivers and rumbles.

Earthquakes Rumble Under East Antarctica Much More Frequently Than Thought

A new study reveals that the region trembled with 27 minor earthquakes in 2009 alone

Once touted as the Paris of the East, Ross Island has now been reclaimed by nature.

India’s Abandoned Island of Colonial Horror

Eerie and desolate, Ross Island harbors a tale of oppression and disaster

Illustration of NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight).

Five Things to Know About NASA’s InSight Mission to Mars

This Saturday, the craft will launch on its mission to search for clues about the Red Planet’s interior

Cool Finds

Rare 1906 San Francisco Earthquake Footage Found at Flea Market

The nine-minute Miles brothers film reel shows the devastation that the powerful quake wrought

Critically endangered desert pupfish spawning in 2012.

Alaska’s Earthquake Caused Endangered Desert Pupfish to Spawn

Nevada’s critically endangered fish are in an unseasonable spawn after the earthquake set their home rippling

The epicenter of last night's earthquake in Alaska

Trending Today

Why Did Alaska’s Big Quake Lead to a Tiny Tsunami?

Geophysics, plate tectonics and the vast ocean all determine how severe a tsunami may be

New Research

Does the Moon’s Phase Cause Earthquakes?

One researcher offers a succinct answer

Shan Dou (from left), Jonathan Ajo-Franklin, and Nate Lindsey were on a Berkeley Lab team that, in collaboration with researchers from Stanford, used fiber optic cables for detecting earthquakes and other subsurface activity.

Could Fiber Optics Detect Earthquakes?

By monitoring every grumble, shiver and burp our planet makes, researchers hope to be more prepared to take action when things go awry

The minimLET toilet kit

A Sleek Portable Toilet and Other Design Solutions for Disaster Victims

The toilet kit, from a Japanese design studio, is part of wave of interest in design fixes for the problems created by disasters

New Research

Clues for Earthquake Prediction May Be Hiding in Earth’s Molten Core

Researchers propose that irregularities in the core’s rotation could spawn clusters of major quakes

Rescue workers search for survivors among the rubble of a collapsed building in Mexico City. Structures throughout the capital were devastated during yesterday's earthquake.

How Mexico City’s Unique Geology Makes Deadly Earthquakes Even Worse

The entire country—but especially the capital—has all the ingredients for seismic catastrophe

Iceland’s Volcano and Earthquake Museum is Devoted to the Country’s “Epic” Geology

The Lava Center is surrounded by three volcanoes

Nuptse with the peak of Mount Everest behind it

New Research

Did an Earthquake Make Mount Everest Shorter? New Expedition Aims to Find Out

India and Nepal both plan to determine if the 2015 earthquake that devastated Nepal caused the world’s highest peak to lose an inch

A middle school devastated by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake

New Research

Oil Drilling Could Be to Blame for Devastating 1933 California Quake and Others

Human-induced earthquakes could be much older than once thought

A collapsed building in Amatrice, Italy.

Trending Today

Italian Preservationists Save 900 Artworks From the Ruins of Earthquake-Struck Amatrice

The “Blue Helmets” spent months scouring rubble for priceless pieces

Page 5 of 9