Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
earthquake
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images, Videos & Interactives
Kōbe earthquake of 1995 earthquake-damaged neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti earthquake epicentres San Francisco earthquake of 1906
The video thumbnail image shows a woman trying to break a bundle of pasta strands as part of a scientific demonstration.
Study the San Andreas Fault to see how horizontal movement displaces underlying rock and causes earthquakes
Fault types in tectonic earthquakes map of active volcanoes and thermal fields
Learn how Earth's crustal plates grind against each other and send energy waves in all directions
See the testing of new bridge design which is capable of resisting earthquakes
Quizzes
rain. Child in the rain, wearing a rain coat, under a yellow umbrella. April Showers weather climate rain storm water drops
April Showers to March’s Lions and Lambs
Warm water fuels Hurricane Katrina. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual dea surface temperatures for the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005.
Disasters of Historic Proportion
Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust
The Solid Earth Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
36 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Science Quizzes
Related Questions
Read Next
An Air Force search and rescue team in an HH-60 G Pave Hawk helicopter surveys the damage as it flies over Sendai, Japan, March 14, 2011. Japan 2011
Five Years Later: The Great Sendai Earthquake
VAN, TURKEY - OCTOBER 25: A building and car ruined during the earthquake of Van-Ercis on October 25, 2011 in Van, Turkey. It is 604 killed and 4152 injured in Van-Ercis Earthquake.
What Is an Aftershock?
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.
6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters
Composite image - Katsushika Hokusai The Great Wave off Kanagawa, color woodcut print, with background of Seismograph recording seismic activity and detecting an earthquake
How Do Scientists Predict Tsunamis After Earthquakes?
Discover
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
United States Electoral College votes by state
How Many Electoral College Votes Does Each U.S. State Have?
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
12 Greek Gods and Goddesses
Jackson (Wyoming, United States). Jackson Lake (also called Jackson Hole), southern end of the Teton Range (the Grand Tetons), Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
7 Wonders of America
Statue of Nostradamus
Nostradamus and His Prophecies
Washington DC.,USA, April 26, 1989. Supporters for and against legal abortion face off during a protest outside the United States Supreme Court Building during Webster V Health Services
Pro and Con: Abortion

earthquake: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/earthquake-geology
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As earth tremor

Photos and Videos

Kōbe earthquake of 1995
earthquake-damaged neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti
earthquake epicentres
San Francisco earthquake of 1906
Fault types in tectonic earthquakes
map of active volcanoes and thermal fields
tsunami
seismic wave: main types
physical clues for earthquake prediction
recording of the San Fernando earthquake, 1971
The video thumbnail image shows a woman trying to break a bundle of pasta strands as part of a scientific demonstration.
Study the San Andreas Fault to see how horizontal movement displaces underlying rock and causes earthquakes
Learn how Earth's crustal plates grind against each other and send energy waves in all directions
See the testing of new bridge design which is capable of resisting earthquakes
The video thumbnail image shows a woman sitting at a table with tools for a scientific demonstration.
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

John Michell
British geologist and astronomer
Boris Borisovich, Prince Golitsyn
Russian physicist
Richter, Charles F.
Charles F. Richter
American physicist
Day, Arthur L.
Arthur L. Day
American geophysicist

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
rain. Child in the rain, wearing a rain coat, under a yellow umbrella. April Showers weather climate rain storm water drops
April Showers to March’s Lions and Lambs
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
36 Questions from Britannica’s Most Popular Science Quizzes
Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust
The Solid Earth Quiz
Warm water fuels Hurricane Katrina. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual dea surface temperatures for the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005.
Disasters of Historic Proportion
List
In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.
6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
Demystified
VAN, TURKEY - OCTOBER 25: A building and car ruined during the earthquake of Van-Ercis on October 25, 2011 in Van, Turkey. It is 604 killed and 4152 injured in Van-Ercis Earthquake.
What Is an Aftershock?