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  1. Terminology. An earthquake is the shaking of the surface of Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes may also be referred to as quakes, tremors, or temblors. The word tremor is also used for non-earthquake seismic rumbling .

  2. Apr 18, 2024 · Earthquake, any sudden shaking of the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves through Earths rocks. Earthquakes occur most often along geologic faults, narrow zones where rock masses move in relation to one another. Learn more about the causes and effects of earthquakes in this article.

  3. Earthquakes are shown as circles sized by magnitude (red, < 1 hour; blue, < 1 day, yellow, < 1 week). Click or tap on a circle to view more details about an earthquake, such as location, date/time, magnitude, and links to more information about the quake.

  4. An earthquake is caused by a sudden slip on a fault. The tectonic plates are always slowly moving, but they get stuck at their edges due to friction. When the stress on the edge overcomes the friction, there is an earthquake that releases energy in waves that travel through the earth's crust and cause the shaking that we feel.

  5. Feb 6, 2023 · The strongest earthquake ever recorded was a magnitude 9.5 quake that struck southern Chile in 1960. The Valdivia earthquake—named for the city that suffered the most damage—killed about 1,655 ...

  6. earthquake.usgs.gov › earthquakes › mapLatest Earthquakes

    58 km WSW of Adak, Alaska. 2024-04-20 19:57:13 (UTC-07:00) 10.0 km. 5.1.

  7. Jan 23, 2020 · Earthquakes can leave behind incredible devastation, while also creating some of the planet's most magnificent formations. Learn about the geophysics behind ...

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