Earthquake News & Analysis
Stay informed about earthquakes worldwide with expert analysis, safety
guides, and real-time updates.
Published: December 2025 • 38 min read
From base isolation that lets skyscrapers slide on giant bearings to 1,000-ton tuned mass dampers that swing
like pendulums,
modern earthquake engineering has turned once-deadly shaking into survivable motion. This in-depth guide covers
every major
technology in use worldwide in 2025 — lead-rubber bearings, buckling-restrained braces, viscous dampers,
self-centering systems,
rocking cores, and the latest AI-controlled adaptive structures — with performance data from the 2011 Tohoku
M9.0, 2010 Chile M8.8,
and dozens of other real events. Discover why a hospital in Christchurch stayed fully operational after a M6.3
directly beneath it,
how Apple Park can move 1.5 meters in any direction, and why the next generation of buildings may suffer zero
residual drift even
after a magnitude 9+ earthquake...
Read more →
Published: December 2025
At the intersection of the Eurasian and Philippine Sea Plates, Taiwan faces some of the most intense seismic
forces on Earth. Yet it has become a world leader in earthquake resilience — from dense sensor networks and
advanced early-warning algorithms to base-isolated hospitals, robust construction standards, and a deeply rooted
culture of preparedness. Explore how Taiwan transformed past disasters like the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake into
some of the most sophisticated seismic technologies and disaster-response systems in the world...
Read more →
Published: December 2025
Peru sits atop one of Earth's most active subduction zones, where the Nazca Plate dives beneath South America.
This tectonic collision has produced centuries of devastating megathrust earthquakes and coastal tsunamis.
The 1746 Lima–Callao disaster leveled the capital and launched a massive tsunami; the 1868 Arica event sent
waves
across the entire Pacific; and modern ruptures like the 2001 Arequipa and 2007 Pisco earthquakes reveal that
the hazard remains highly active today. Discover the patterns, seismic gaps, and coastal risks that define one
of the most dangerous shorelines on the Pacific Rim...
Read more →
Published: December 2025
7,641 islands. 117 million people. Four tectonic plates colliding (Philippine Sea, Eurasian, Pacific,
Indo-Australian). Philippine Trench 10,000+ meters deep. Manila Trench megathrust threatens capital. Philippine
Fault: 1,200 km strike-slip through archipelago. 5 earthquakes daily, 100-150 felt annually. 1645 Manila:
600-3,000 deaths. 1863 Manila: destroyed cathedral, 400-1,000 deaths. 1990 Luzon M7.8: 1,621 deaths, Baguio
devastated, Hyatt Terraces collapse. 2013 Bohol M7.2: 222 deaths, 70,000+ buildings damaged, Spanish colonial
churches destroyed. Metro Manila: 14+ million atop West Valley Fault (M7+ capable, last rupture ~1500 CE,
paleoseismic interval 400-600 years). Scenario: 30,000-50,000 potential deaths, 10-15% GDP damage. Island
isolation, typhoon compound disasters, 24 active volcanoes, building vulnerability crisis, informal settlements,
limited code enforcement. Discover the archipelago's extraordinary seismic challenge...
Read more →
Published: December 2025
5:12 AM, April 18, 1906. M7.9 earthquake, 296-mile rupture along San Andreas Fault. 400,000 population. Official
toll: 478 deaths (actual: 3,000-3,400). 45-60 seconds of shaking. Water mains destroyed. Fires ignited citywide.
Three days of conflagration. 490 blocks burned. 28,000 buildings destroyed. 80% of city consumed. 225,000
homeless. $400 million damage (1906), ~$13 billion today. Military dynamited buildings for firebreaks.
Shoot-on-sight order for looters. 26 refugee camps, 200,000+ housed for months. Harry Fielding Reid's elastic
rebound theory founded modern seismology. First systematic earthquake science investigation. Building codes,
fire systems, urban planning transformed. Insurance industry reshaped. Political corruption exposed. City
rebuilt in 3 years but lessons incompletely applied. Discover how one disaster changed American science,
engineering, and disaster response forever...
Read more →
Published: December 2025
10.7 million people. 6,000 islands (227 inhabited) in active collision zone. African-Eurasian collision,
Hellenic Arc subduction, Aegean extension at 15mm/year. Several hundred felt earthquakes annually. 373 BCE:
ancient Helice destroyed and submerged. 226 BCE: Colossus of Rhodes toppled. 1600 BCE: Santorini eruption buried
Minoan Akrotiri. 1953 Cephalonia M7.2: 90% of buildings destroyed, hundreds dead, mass emigration. 1999 Athens
M6.0: 143 deaths in capital. 2017 Kos M6.6: damaged Hippocrates sites during peak tourism. 2020 Samos M7.0: 2
deaths, 1+ meter tsunami. Gulf of Corinth: Europe's most active rift. Island isolation, tourism vulnerability,
archaeological heritage at risk...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
60 million people. 59 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (most of any country). African-Eurasian collision creating
Apennines. Pompeii earthquake 62 CE, Vesuvius eruption 79 CE. 1349 earthquake damaged Colosseum. 1908 Messina
M7.1: 100,000-200,000 deaths—deadliest in European history. 1915 Avezzano M7.0: 30,000 deaths. 1980 Irpinia
M6.9: 2,914 deaths. 2009 L'Aquila M6.3: 309 deaths, historic center destroyed. 2016 Amatrice M6.2: 299 deaths,
medieval town reduced to rubble. Unreinforced masonry heritage catastrophically vulnerable. Building codes exist
but enforcement fails. Discover Italy's seismic heritage...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
90 million people. Arabian-Eurasian collision at 2-3 cm/year. Average one M6+ annually. Tehran: 16 million
people atop multiple M7+ capable faults. 2003 Bam M6.6: 26,000+ deaths, one in four residents killed,
2,000-year-old UNESCO citadel collapsed. Adobe and unreinforced masonry catastrophically vulnerable. Tabriz
destroyed four times (858, 1042, 1721, 1780). 1990 Manjil M7.4: 40,000+ deaths. 126,000+ deaths since 1900.
Building codes exist but enforcement fails. Discover Iran's seismic crisis...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
280 million people. Three tectonic plates colliding. 5,500 km Sunda megathrust. 127 active volcanoes. 2004
Sumatra M9.1: 230,000 deaths, 30-meter tsunami waves, 1,300 km rupture in 10 minutes. Since 2004: Nias M8.6,
Yogyakarta M6.4 (5,700 deaths), Padang M7.6 (1,100 deaths), Lombok M6.9, Palu M7.5 (4,300 deaths, surprise
tsunami from landslides). Mentawai Gap hasn't ruptured since 1797. Java megathrust since 1840s—150+ million
people at risk. Discover Indonesia's extraordinary seismic reality...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
15,000 earthquakes annually. Pacific and Australian plates colliding at oblique angles. Alpine Fault: 600 km
long, M8+ overdue, 75% probability in 50 years. Last rupture 1717—308 years ago. North Island: Hikurangi
subduction zone capable of M8-9 megathrust. 2011 Christchurch M6.3: 185 deaths, $40B damage (20% of GDP). 2016
Kaikōura M7.8: 21+ faults ruptured simultaneously—most complex earthquake ever recorded. Wellington sits atop
active fault threatening capital. Discover why New Zealand is one of Earth's most seismically active nations...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
Daily, Earth experiences thousands of earthquakes. Most imperceptible, a few dozen felt, perhaps one damaging.
The pattern isn't random—it follows precise mathematical laws. Gutenberg-Richter: for every M5, there are 10
M4s. Omori's Law (1894): aftershocks decay following exact equation. Båth's Law: largest aftershock typically 1
magnitude smaller than mainshock. These patterns hold globally across billions of events. Discover why small
earthquakes vastly outnumber large ones, why aftershocks follow predictable decay, and why M10 earthquakes are
impossible...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
Japan: 1,500 felt earthquakes annually. California: thousands per year. Alaska: more than rest of U.S. combined.
Florida: zero damaging earthquakes ever. Brazil: almost entirely earthquake-free. The pattern isn't random. The
Ring of Fire accounts for 90% of global earthquakes. Plate boundaries explain everything. Stable cratons in
Brazil, Africa, Australia experience almost no seismicity. But New Madrid—thousands of km from any plate
boundary—produced three M7-8+ earthquakes in 1811-1812. Discover why earthquake distribution is so uneven...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
When the ground shakes, what's happening kilometers beneath your feet? Solid rock fractures and slides at meters
per second. Faults rupture at 2-3 km/second—70% the speed of sound. Friction heats rock to 1,000°C+. Stress that
built for centuries releases in seconds. Energy equivalent to thousands of atomic bombs radiates as seismic
waves. Discover the violent underground reality of earthquakes: how stress accumulates, why rocks suddenly fail,
how ruptures propagate, and what determines whether you feel a tremor or witness catastrophe...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
Earth's surface isn't solid—it's broken into massive plates constantly moving at fingernail-growth speeds. Where
plates collide, the world's largest earthquakes occur. Where they slide past each other, strike-slip faults like
the San Andreas tear apart. Where they separate, new ocean floor forms. This isn't random: 95% of earthquakes
trace plate boundaries. Discover why California shakes while Kansas doesn't, why subduction zones produce
magnitude 9+ megaquakes, and how plate tectonics explains every earthquake pattern on Earth...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
February 6, 2023, 4:17 AM: magnitude 7.8. Nine hours later: magnitude 7.5. Over 59,000 dead in Turkey and
Syria—the deadliest earthquake of the 21st century. Thousands of buildings collapsed despite modern building
codes. The cause? Systematic corruption, inadequate enforcement, construction defects. But the worst may be yet
to come. Istanbul—16 million people—sits on a fault that hasn't ruptured since 1766. Scientists estimate 30-70%
probability of M7+ earthquake by 2030. Discover Turkey's extreme seismic risk and the inevitable megaquake...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
May 22, 1960: magnitude 9.5—the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Ten minutes of shaking. Entire coastline
permanently deformed. Tsunamis killing people across the Pacific. 5,700+ deaths. Chile could have been broken.
Instead, the nation transformed catastrophe into resilience. Fifty years later, Chile faced a magnitude 8.8
earthquake—500 times more energy than the Haiti quake that killed 316,000. Chile's death toll: 525. The
difference? Building codes, enforcement, and culture. Discover how Chile became the world's model for earthquake
adaptation...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
Alaska experiences 40,000 earthquakes annually—more than the rest of the U.S. combined. On March 27, 1964, the
state endured the second most powerful earthquake ever recorded: magnitude 9.2. For four and a half minutes, the
ground shook so violently people couldn't stand. Entire towns subsided 8 feet. Tsunamis devastated coastal
communities from Alaska to California. Discover Alaska's extraordinary earthquake history, what the 1964
megaquake revealed about subduction zones, and why the next great earthquake is inevitable...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
Imagine experiencing dozens of earthquakes per day for weeks—no clear mainshock, just relentless shaking that
refuses to follow normal aftershock patterns. These are earthquake swarms, mysterious sequences that can involve
thousands of events, migrate through the crust as fluids move underground, and occasionally—though rarely—warn
of something much larger building beneath the surface. Discover what causes swarms, how they differ from typical
earthquakes, and whether the 90-95% of swarms that end harmlessly can be distinguished from the dangerous
5-10%...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
Despite billions in research and decades of effort, earthquakes cannot be predicted. The Parkfield prediction
experiment failed spectacularly. Chinese claims don't withstand scrutiny. No precursors have proven reliable.
Learn why prediction remains fundamentally impossible, how earthquake forecasting differs from prediction, what
early warning systems can actually do, and how to evaluate the prediction claims you'll inevitably encounter
online...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
A magnitude 6.3 earthquake at 5 km depth devastated Christchurch, killing 185 people. A magnitude 8.3 earthquake
at 609 km depth caused zero deaths and no damage. Earthquake depth can matter more than magnitude in determining
damage potential. Discover why shallow earthquakes are deadly, why deep earthquakes shouldn't exist according to
physics, and what depth reveals about Earth's interior...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
In 1985, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck 220 miles from Mexico City. Near the coast, damage was moderate. But
in Mexico City, over 10,000 died as the ancient Lake Texcoco bed amplified seismic waves 5-50 times stronger
than bedrock. Discover why this counterintuitive phenomenon makes Mexico City one of the world's most
earthquake-vulnerable major cities, and why distance from faults doesn't guarantee safety...
Read more →
Published: November 2025
Buried beneath the farmlands of the central United States lies a fault system that once produced some of the
most powerful earthquakes in American history—so strong they rang church bells in Boston and reversed the flow
of the Mississippi River. The New Madrid Seismic Zone remains active and capable of devastating earthquakes, yet
the region is dangerously unprepared. Discover why scientists call this America's forgotten earthquake threat...
Read more →
Published: November, 2025
Tokyo sits on one of the most seismically active spots on Earth, experiencing thousands of earthquakes annually.
Yet it thrives as a modern megacity with remarkably few casualties. Discover how Japan's capital became the
world's most earthquake-prepared city through strict building codes, early warning systems, and a culture of
preparedness that other high-risk cities are now trying to emulate...
Read more →
Published: November, 2025
Off the Pacific Northwest coast lurks a seismic threat far more dangerous than California's San Andreas Fault:
the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Capable of producing a magnitude 9.0+ megaquake, this fault has been locked and
silent for 325 years—quietly accumulating massive strain. Learn about "The Really Big One" and why scientists
say it's not a matter of if, but when...
Read more →
Published: September 2025
Have you ever wondered how far away you can feel an earthquake? The answer depends on the earthquake's
magnitude, depth, and local geology. Generally, people can feel earthquakes up to 100-500 kilometers away
from the epicenter. Learn about the factors that determine earthquake perception distance...
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Published: September 2025
Not all earthquakes are dangerous. Most earthquakes are too small to feel, and even many earthquakes you can
feel cause no damage. So what magnitude becomes dangerous? Magnitude 5.0 and above can cause damage in
populated areas, but the danger depends on depth, distance, and building quality...
Read more →
Published: September 2025
California sits on the infamous San Andreas Fault and dozens of other active fault lines, making it one of
the most earthquake-prone regions in the United States. But not all California cities face the same level of
risk. Discover which California cities have the highest earthquake risk and why...
Read more →
Published: September 2025
For centuries, people have reported unusual animal behavior before earthquakes - dogs barking excessively,
birds flying erratically, fish jumping out of water. But can animals actually predict earthquakes? Learn
what science says about animal earthquake prediction and whether you should trust your pet's behavior...
Read more →
Published: September 2025
After a major earthquake strikes, you often hear about "aftershocks" continuing for days, weeks, or even
months. But what exactly is an aftershock, and how is it different from the main earthquake? Understand the
science behind aftershocks, how long they last, and why they can be dangerous...
Read more →
Published: October 2025
If you live in an earthquake-prone area, preparation can save your life. Here's your complete earthquake
preparedness checklist based on FEMA and USGS guidelines. Learn exactly what to secure in your home, what to
include in your emergency kit, and how to practice life-saving drills with your family...
Read more →
Published: October 2025
Japan experiences about 1,500 earthquakes per year - far more than California. Yet Japan typically has fewer
earthquake-related deaths. What's their secret? Discover how Japan's strict building codes, early warning
systems, and cultural preparedness create one of the world's most earthquake-resilient societies...
Read more →
Published: October 2025
Imagine getting a warning on your phone seconds before an earthquake strikes. Earthquake early warning systems
make this possible, providing enough time to take cover, stop trains, or shut off gas valves. Learn how Japan's
system gave Tokyo 60 seconds warning during the 2011 M9.1 Tohoku earthquake, and how ShakeAlert protects
California...
Read more →
Published: October 2025
Earthquakes happen when massive slabs of rock beneath Earth's surface, called tectonic plates, suddenly shift
and release built-up energy. Learn about the three main types of plate boundaries, why some places experience
more earthquakes than others, and how the same forces that cause earthquakes also created the mountains we climb
and the diverse landscapes we inhabit...
Read more →
Published: October 2025
The Richter Scale, developed in 1935, becomes inaccurate for large earthquakes. The Moment Magnitude Scale,
introduced in 1979, measures total energy released and works accurately for all earthquake sizes. Scientists now
exclusively use the Moment Magnitude Scale, though news reports often still say "Richter Scale" out of habit.
Learn why this distinction matters for accurately assessing earthquake hazards...
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Published: October 2025
Seismographs detect earthquakes using sensors that convert ground motion into electrical signals. Working on the
principle of inertia, these instruments use a suspended mass that stays relatively still while the ground moves
beneath it. Modern digital seismographs can detect movements smaller than the width of a human hair and transmit
data in real-time to monitoring centers worldwide...
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Published: October 2025
P-waves are the fastest seismic waves, traveling at 5-8 km/s through compression. S-waves follow more slowly at
3-5 km/s, moving rock side to side. The time difference between their arrivals helps scientists pinpoint
earthquake locations, and because P-waves arrive first, they enable early warning systems that provide precious
seconds before destructive shaking hits...
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Published: October 2025
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger mainshock, but here's the catch: they're only
identifiable in hindsight. About 40% of major earthquakes are preceded by foreshocks, but there's no reliable
way to know if a small earthquake is a warning sign or just an ordinary event. Learn why earthquake prediction
remains impossible and how scientists use probabilities instead...
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Published: October 2025
Earthquake damage depends on far more than magnitude. Depth, soil type, building construction, population
density, and duration all play crucial roles. A magnitude 6.5 earthquake in one location might be catastrophic
while an identical-sized quake elsewhere causes minimal damage. Learn the eight key factors that determine why
magnitude alone doesn't tell the full story...
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Published: October 2025
Discover why 90% of the world's earthquakes occur in the Ring of Fire. This 40,000-kilometer horseshoe-shaped
zone around the Pacific Ocean hosts the most intense tectonic activity on Earth. Learn about the subduction
zones, volcanic arcs, and plate boundaries that make this region so seismically active, and explore each major
segment from Chile to Japan to New Zealand...
Read more →
Published: October 30, 2025
Discover the terrifying phenomenon that causes solid ground to behave like liquid during earthquakes. From
buildings that tilt intact without breaking to entire neighborhoods that vanish into flowing mud, liquefaction
has caused some of history's most dramatic earthquake disasters. Learn the physics behind soil failure, explore
devastating case studies from Alaska to Indonesia, and understand the engineering solutions protecting
vulnerable
communities worldwide...
Read more →
Published: October 31, 2025
The San Francisco Bay Area faces a 72% probability of a magnitude 6.7+ earthquake within 30 years,
with the Hayward Fault posing a 33% threat. A major quake could kill 800+, injure 18,000, displace
400,000 residents, and cause $82-191 billion in damage. Discover the science behind the inevitable
"Big One," which cities face the greatest risks, what happens when critical infrastructure fails,
and the preparation steps that could save your life...
Read more →
