Earthquakes, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 28, 2007

Old Earthquake Faults are Like Worn Brake Pads

Earthquake faults are worn smooth over time by friction, like the brake pads of an old car, according to a new study. The finding, detailed in the March issue of the journal Geology, suggests old and new faults might generate different types of earthquakes. Researchers were able to see the...

Jul 31, 2008

Study: Large Earthquake Could Strike New York City

The New York City area is at substantially greater risk of earthquakes than previously thought, scientists said Thursday. Damage could range from minor to major, with a rare but potentially powerful event killing people and costing billions of dollars in damage. A pattern of subtle but active faults is known...

Apr 30, 2008

2nd Strong Aftershock Hits China Sunday Morning

Updated 4:27 p.m. ET Another strong aftershock struck the Sichuan region of China early Sunday morning. The preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey put the aftershock at magnitude 5.7. It struck Sunday at 1:08 a.m. local time near the Sichuan-Gansu border region, according to a USGS statement. The temblor...

Apr 30, 2008

Big Quakes Trigger Global Shaking

The giant earthquake that unleashed the Indian Ocean tsunamis in 2004 — killing more than 225,000 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in history — might also have triggered other quakes around the world, new findings reveal. The earthquake that ravaged China last week may also have set...

Jan 31, 2009

In Photos: The Great San Francisco Earthquake

Image of San Francisco (Image credit: Photo Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)The great 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire destroyed most of the city and left 250,000 people homeless. This full panorama of San Francisco, California, was taken July 29, 1904, less than two years...

Sep 30, 2010

Surprises Revealed in Wake of Massive Haiti Quake

Identifying the fault responsible for Haiti's massive Jan. 12 earthquake seemed like an open-and-shut case After the temblor, the well-known Enriquillo fault was quickly blamed, but new data reveal a more complicated picture. The magnitude-7.0 earthquake involved not one, but three faults, which sent tsunami waves crashing onto shore by...

Nov 30, 2011

2012 Outlook: Huge Quakes Not on the Rise

From the massive and disastrous temblor that struck Japan to the surprising East Coast quake, 2011 has been quite a year for earthquakes. On the cusp of the new year and with talk of the doomsday supposedly predicted by the ancient Maya, suggestions that a catastrophic natural disaster is in...

Apr 30, 2011

Maine's Tiny Earthquakes Explained

A combination of tiny faults and an ice age hangover caused Maine's swarm of tiny earthquakes earlier this month. The state was hit by as many as 30 minor tremors from the last day of April through the first week of May. These tiny quakes , all of which were...

Feb 28, 2011

Sumatra, Japan, Chile: Are Earthquakes Getting Worse?

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rumbled through Japan today (March 11), triggering a devastating tsunami, was the strongest felt in that country since seismic monitoring was invented. It's also comparable in scale to a few other recent temblors, including last year's 8.8-magnitude quake in Chile and 2004's 9.1-magnitude undersea rupture off...

Dec 31, 2010

Large Earthquake Strikes Chile Coast

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck just offshore near Temuco, Chile today (Sunday) at 3:20 pm ET. There were no initial reports of serious damage or deaths. No significant tsunamis are expected. A strong earthquake has occurred, but a tsunami IS NOT expected along the California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, or...

Nov 30, 2012

Ancient Earthquake Foreshadowed 2011 Japan Disaster

Hindsight is 20/20, the saying goes, and new research shows that may be the case in the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan's Tohoku region in 2011. Before that quake, seismic hazard maps for the area said there was no danger of a large earthquake along the Japan Trench,...

Oct 31, 2012

Study Reveals Earthquake Dangers in Spain

At least six earthquakes registering above a seven on the Richter scale struck a little-known Spanish fault in the recent past, according to new research. The finding suggests that the fault, in Southeast Spain, is more active than previously thought and could pose a potential hazard to people living in...

Jul 31, 2012

Fracking Earthquakes: Injection Practice Linked to Scores of Tremors

Earthquakes triggered by fluids injected deep underground, such as during the controversial practice of fracking, may be more common than previously thought, a new study suggests. Fluid injections into Earth are not uncommon. For instance, in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, water, sand and other materials are injected under high pressure...

Feb 29, 2012

Washington Monument Surveyed for Quake Effects

Teams of surveyors have descended on the area around the Washington Monument in recent weeks to search for any minute changes in ground level wrought by the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that rattled huge swaths of the East Coast last Aug. 23. The surveyors with the National Geodetic Survey are equipped...

Dec 31, 2011

GPS Uncovers Possible Southwest Quake Risk

The U.S. Southwest isn't particularly known for its seismic activity, but the Rio Grande Rift, a series of faults and basins that runs from central Colorado south through New Mexico, is alive and stretching, new research shows. Scientists had suspected the rift might be dead, but measurements of its movement...