Earthquakes

Why the 1989 San Francisco Quake Was So Disastrous

The 1989 San Francisco earthquake delivered a myriad of deadly disasters, all unfolding at the same time

How Japanese High-Speed Trains Handle Earthquakes

Imagine being on a Japanese high-speed train when an earthquake hits. This is a scenario that the Tokaido Shinkansen railway team has been planning for

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

Footage of the Alarming Moments Before the Everest Avalanche

An earthquake in Nepal fills hikers on Everest with fear. Once the tremors subside, however, a new threat begins to loom on the horizon: an avalanche

This Couple Filmed the Everest Avalanche Coming at Them

A young couple hiking in a Himalayan valley are caught in the middle of an earthquake that sets off a giant avalanche

Nuptse with the peak of Mount Everest behind it

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

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.

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

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

Scientists Just Discovered a Missing Link Between San Francisco’s Faults

Two of California's most active fault lines appear to be a 118-mile-long fault instead

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How Earthquakes and Volcanoes Reveal the Beating Heart of the Planet

The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program has stitched together a visual archive of the world’s earthquakes and volcanoes

San Bernardino County is among those included in the earthquake alert.

Should Californians Stress Out About the New Earthquake Advisory?

Here's what you need to know

Researchers studying stalagmite formations in the Wabash Valley fault system have found that stalagmites can yield clues to the timing of ancient earthquakes.

Cave Formations Carry Clues About Ancient Earthquakes

Researchers have found that stalagmites can help determine if and when a region was struck by an earthquake.

The magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck Pawnee, Oklahoma, on Sept. 3 is officially the state's largest on record. Geologists believe that activities related to oil and gas extraction in the state have triggered a quake swarm in the seismically active region.

Oklahoma Just Had Its Biggest Quake Ever, and There May Be More to Come

Oklahoma's recent string of earthquakes are something new for the state

A beach in Juneau, Alaska. Sea levels in Alaska are not rising, but dropping precipitously due to a phenomenon known as glacial isostatic adjustment.

Melting Glaciers Are Wreaking Havoc on Earth's Crust

Sea levels are dropping, earthquakes and volcanoes are waking up, and even the earth's axis is moving—all because of melting ice

The Cascadia Subduction Zone could unleash "the big one" soon, causing havoc in Seattle.

Slow Earthquakes Are a Thing

Slow earthquakes regularly move more earth than deadly fast quakes, but no one feels a thing

Rescuers search for survivors following the earthquake that struck central Italy early this morning.

The Geology Behind Italy’s Catastrophic Quake

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake shook the Apennine Mountains—and given the region’s geology, that’s no surprise

Ask Smithsonian: Can Animals Predict Earthquakes?

Humans cling to the idea that the beasts of the field could help to make earthquakes predictable, but prognosticators they are not

The San Andreas Fault, cause of countless big quakes.

Seismic Slowdowns Could Warn of Impending Earthquakes

An "earthquake machine" in the lab is helping scientists understand what goes on just before a quake

San Andreas fault near Parkfield, California

Tides Trigger Tiny Earthquakes Along the San Andreas Fault

The spring tides trigger small tremors deep in the fault, revealing the fault's structure

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