Earthquake news, features and articles
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![Layers of earthquake-twisted ground are seen at dusk where the 14 freeway crosses the San Andreas Fault on June 28, 2006 near Palmdale, California.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/suTzZgoCj6GouBoMnhBxa-320-80.jpg)
Balanced boulders on San Andreas fault suggest the 'Big One' won't be as destructive as once thought
By Kiley Price published
A cluster of precariously balanced rocks in California hold secret clues to future earthquakes near Los Angeles.
![A house damaged in the August 31, 1886 earthquake. Charleston, South Carolina, ca. September, 1886.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/p3XBhJv3UnzZvNuHPuFsKJ-320-80.jpg)
Aftershocks from devastating 1886 Charleston earthquake may still be hitting the US today
By Patrick Pester published
Researchers have found evidence that aftershocks may continue for centuries after a major earthquake — though the finding is still open for debate.
![The skyline of Seattle during sunset](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nkkZPaEVT46Ht6o4BXufvN-320-80.jpg)
Simultaneous rupture of faults triggered massive earthquake in Seattle area 1,100 years ago — and it could happen again
By Harry Baker published
Fossilized tree analysis finds a single massive earthquake may have rocked what is now Seattle around 1,100 years ago rather than several smaller quakes, and that another equally powerful one could hit the city in the future.
![A man stands in the middle of collapsed buildings after the earthquake in Moulay Brahim, Morocco.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PocESv3uQVoCqCxLzh65UM-320-80.jpg)
Here's why Morocco's quake was so deadly — and what we can do for the next one
By José A. Peláez Montilla published
More than 2,500 people died when a powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Morocco on Sept. 8.
![lava flowing from a central source on a black background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FRqvDtNpeWmEapjwZ25u7e-320-80.jpg)
Deadly swarm of earthquakes in Japan caused by magma moving through extinct volcano
By Stephanie Pappas published
Over 10,000 earthquakes have hit the Noto Peninsula over the last three years. They are believed to be emanating from an long-dead volcano, with fluids pushing through the collapsed system.
![A crumbled building in the wake of an earthquake](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P5AszPgUreZWaKgXsgtnpb-320-80.jpg)
Predicting earthquakes is currently impossible. GPS data could help change that
By Kiley Price published
GPS data can track slight tremors underground that could help predict earthquakes two hours in advance.
![Structure of the Earth's core against a space background.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4iAzUd8qwZyMvAKV3bXDLW-320-80.jpg)
450-mile-wide solid metal ball forms Earth's innermost core, earthquake waves reveal
By JoAnna Wendel published
Scientists calculated the diameter of Earth's innermost core using earthquake waves that bounced through the planet 'like ping-pong balls.'
![Smoke billows from a fire at the port as people inspect collapsed buildings in Iskenderun, Turkey.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9ASpe9vt33TEUzzErDzRb4-320-80.jpg)
Why was the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria so deadly?
By Ben Turner published
The Feb. 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria was so deadly because the region sits on a boundary between multiple tectonic plates, while soil and building conditions make strong earthquakes more likely to cause damage.
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