Articles tagged as Earthquakes | Smithsonian Magazine

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

October 21, 2016

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

Updated: October 6, 2016 | Originally Published: October 4, 2016

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

Here’s what you need to know

September 30, 2016

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

Journey to the Center of Earth

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.

September 12, 2016

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.

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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

September 12, 2016

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

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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

September 1, 2016

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

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Slow Earthquakes Are a Thing

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

August 30, 2016

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

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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

August 24, 2016

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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

August 10, 2016

The San Andreas Fault, cause of countless big quakes.

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Seismic Slowdowns Could Warn of Impending Earthquakes

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

August 8, 2016

San Andreas fault near Parkfield, California

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Tides Trigger Tiny Earthquakes Along the San Andreas Fault

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

July 19, 2016

The Sierra Nevadas were created by the fault that defines an entire state.

New Research

Land Around the Infamous San Andreas Fault Is on the Move

Scientists mapped how California rises and falls around its most famous fault

June 22, 2016

Portland, Oregon could be in the crosshairs of one of America's worst disasters if (or when) a 9.0 earthquake hits the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

It’s the mother of all disaster drills for what could be the worst disaster in American history

June 9, 2016

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What Caused the 2011 D.C. Earthquake?

A thinning mantle led to the 5.8 magnitude shake in the Southeast, and more may be in store

May 9, 2016

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake decimated entire cities in northern Ecuador.

Scour satellite imagery of earthquake-stricken areas to help aid agencies decide where to go next

April 19, 2016

This updated earthquake hazard map shows seven million more Americans are at risk of quakes

March 29, 2016

A woman sits amid the ruins of the Great Stone Church, which collapsed in an 1812 earthquake, at Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Journey to the Center of Earth

San Andreas May Have Had Help Triggering a Historic Earthquake

New evidence about a devastating quake in 1812 hints that the San Jacinto fault may be a bigger seismic risk than anyone thought

March 11, 2016

One hundred and eleven new buildings were constructed in the downtown area between 1931 and 1933. The vast majority took their cues from Art Deco, the era’s cutting-edge architectural trend.

How an Earthquake Turned This New Zealand Town into the Art Deco Capital of the World

Napier turned its tragic past into an architectural wonder

February 19, 2016

Stanford Scientists Create an Algorithm That Is the “Shazam” For Earthquakes

The popular song-identifying app has inspired a technique for identifying microquakes in the hopes of predicting major ones

December 11, 2015

A person stands in front of a fault in Utah. Better understanding how rocks behave under stress and along faults like this could help geologists more accurately identify places at risk of earthquakes.

Big Quakes Can Trigger Other Shakes Thousands of Miles Away

According to new research, when a big one strikes, more than aftershocks can follow

October 16, 2015