History
The 1971 San Fernando Earthquake: The Morning LA's Hospitals Fell
November 6, 2026 · 8 min read
A magnitude 6.6 thrust quake at 6:01 a.m. — around 64 dead (USGS), 49 at one veterans hospital, a record 1.25g at Pacoima Dam, and the laws that taught California to map its faults.
History
The 1556 Shaanxi Earthquake: The Deadliest Earthquake in Recorded History
November 4, 2026 · 7 min read
Estimated at around magnitude 8 on January 23, 1556 — a traditional toll of around 830,000, collapsed loess cave homes, and why deadliness is never magnitude alone.
History
The 1999 Chi-Chi Earthquake: The Night the Ground Rose in Taiwan
November 2, 2026 · 7 min read
A magnitude 7.7 at 1:47 a.m. tore Taiwan's Chelungpu Fault open at the surface for roughly 100 km — 2,415 dead, a dam cracked, a school running track lifted into a ridge, and building codes rewritten.
Science
Slow-Slip Earthquakes: The Quakes Too Slow to Feel
October 31, 2026 · 7 min read
A Cascadia slow-slip episode can release roughly the energy of a magnitude 6–7 quake — spread over weeks, not seconds, with no shaking at all. The quiet half of the earthquake cycle.
History
The 1976 Guatemala Earthquake: The Night the Motagua Fault Tore Open
October 29, 2026 · 8 min read
A magnitude 7.5 at 3:01 a.m. tore a 240 km rupture along the Motagua Fault — more than 22,700 dead (USGS), most in adobe homes that collapsed on sleeping families. The quake that made a plate boundary visible.
History
The 2023 Morocco Earthquake: The Night the Atlas Mountains Shook
October 27, 2026 · 8 min read
An M6.8 in the High Atlas at 11:11 p.m. — around 2,946 dead, 5,674 injured, and whole mountain villages flattened. Morocco's deadliest quake since 1960, and a lesson in what buildings are made of.
News
The 2025 Myanmar Earthquake: The Rupture That Ran 475 Kilometers
October 25, 2026 · 9 min read
An M7.7 near Sagaing ruptured 475 km of the Sagaing Fault in about 80 seconds — the longest continental strike-slip rupture on record (USGS), at supershear speed, past three major cities. More than 5,400 deaths reported.
News
The 2026 Bonin Islands Earthquake: M6.5 Nearly 500 km Below the Pacific
October 25, 2026 · 9 min read
A reviewed Mww 6.5 in the Bonin Islands, Japan region at 492.4 km depth. Tsunami flag on, no alert level listed, no felt reports listed — a deep-focus quake inside the descending slab.
News
The 2026 Vanuatu Earthquake: M6.9 West-Northwest of Port-Olry
October 24, 2026 · 9 min read
A reviewed Mww 6.9, 197 km WNW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu at 10 km depth. Tsunami flag on, green alert, 3 felt reports listed — larger than the M6.6 about 28 km away four days earlier.
History
The 1920 Haiyuan Earthquake: When the Loess Hills Collapsed
October 23, 2026 · 8 min read
An M7.8 on the Gansu–Ningxia border reached intensity XII, the maximum. About 200,000 dead (USGS), 73,000+ in Haiyuan County alone, about 200 km of faulting — and loess hills that collapsed on the homes carved into them.
News
The 2026 Nagqu Earthquake: M7.0 in Tibet, China
October 22, 2026 · 9 min read
A reviewed Mww 7.0, 183 km ENE of Nagqu, China at 10 km depth. No tsunami flag, no alert level listed, no felt reports listed — a shallow major quake on the Tibetan Plateau.
History
The 1970 Ancash Earthquake: The Mountain That Buried Yungay
October 21, 2026 · 8 min read
A magnitude 7.9 off northern Peru — then the Huascarán avalanche buried Yungay at an estimated 280–335 km/h. Around 70,000 dead (USGS): the quake whose secondary hazard outkilled the shaking.
News
The 2026 Vanuatu Earthquake: M6.6 Northwest of Port-Olry
October 20, 2026 · 9 min read
A reviewed Mi 6.6, 195 km NW of Port-Olry, Vanuatu at 10 km depth. No tsunami flag, no alert level listed, no felt reports listed — a shallow island-arc story from the South Pacific.
History
The 2003 Bam Earthquake: The Morning a Mud-Brick City Fell
October 19, 2026 · 8 min read
A magnitude 6.6 at 5:26 a.m. — around 31,000 estimated dead, a mud-brick city levelled, and the ancient Arg-e Bam citadel badly damaged. Why what a quake strikes matters as much as its size.
History
The 2011 Christchurch Earthquake: The Lunchtime Quake That Broke a City
October 17, 2026 · 8 min read
A shallow magnitude 6.2 at lunchtime — 185 dead, 115 of them in one collapsed building, and whole suburbs liquefied. Why a moderate quake broke a modern city.
News
The 2026 Kamchatka Earthquake: M6.9 Near Ozernovskiy, Russia
October 16, 2026 · 9 min read
A reviewed Mww 6.9, 76 km NE of Ozernovskiy, Russia at 143.2 km depth. No tsunami flag, green alert, no felt reports listed — a deep-focus story from the Kamchatka Peninsula.
History
The 1999 İzmit Earthquake: The Night the North Anatolian Fault Broke
October 15, 2026 · 8 min read
A 7.4 on the North Anatolian Fault at 3:01 a.m. — an estimated 17,127 dead, 43,953 injured, a 145 km rupture, and the building-code reckoning that followed.
History
The 2010 Maule Earthquake: The Night Chile Moved
October 13, 2026 · 8 min read
An 8.8 megathrust off the Maule coast — about 520 dead, a tsunami, a city moved 3 metres west, and a day shortened by 1.26 microseconds.
News
The 2026 Mid-Atlantic Ridge Earthquake: M6.9 in the Central Atlantic
October 13, 2026 · 10 min read
A reviewed Mww 6.9 on the central Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 10 km depth, about 80 km from the M6.7 from hours earlier. Tsunami flag on, green alert — NTWC says no tsunami danger for the U.S. East Coast, Gulf, or eastern Canada.
News
The 2026 Mid-Atlantic Ridge Earthquake: M6.7 in the Central Atlantic
October 13, 2026 · 9 min read
A reviewed Mww 6.7 on the central Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 10 km depth. No tsunami flag, green alert, no felt reports listed — a seismology story in the middle of the Atlantic.
History
The 2023 Turkey–Syria Earthquakes: Two Quakes, One Terrible Morning
October 11, 2026 · 9 min read
A 7.8 and a 7.5, nine hours apart — nearly 60,000 dead, ~38,900 buildings destroyed. The deadliest quake disaster since Haiti 2010, and a lesson in buildings.
News
The 2026 Panama Earthquake: M7.7 Near Pitaloza Arriba
October 9, 2026 · 9 min read
A reviewed M7.7, 12 km WSW of Pitaloza Arriba at 12.6 km depth. No tsunami flag, PAGER pending, 17 felt reports — and the aftershocks are still to come.
Preparedness
Earthquake Pet Safety: The Plan Your Animals Can't Make for Themselves
October 9, 2026 · 7 min read
Your dog can't pack a bag and your cat doesn't know what a fault is. FEMA-based guide: pet emergency kits, evacuation plans, microchips — before, during, and after the shaking.
History
The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake: 86,000 Lives on a Himalayan Morning
October 7, 2026 · 8 min read
A 7.6 quake near Muzaffarabad — 86,000+ dead, 4 million homeless. The deadliest earthquake of 2005, and a rescue raced against a Himalayan winter.
History
The 1811–2012 New Madrid Earthquakes: The Quakes That Shook a Young America
October 5, 2026 · 8 min read
Three ~M7.5 quakes in the Mississippi Valley — felt from Boston to New Orleans. Land rose, the river ran backward, and the fault is still loaded.
History
The 1988 Spitak Earthquake: The Quake That Cracked the Soviet Union
October 3, 2026 · 8 min read
A 6.8 quake, 25,000 dead — most in buildings that should never have collapsed. The disaster that cracked open the Soviet Union.
Science
Why Japan Gets So Many Earthquakes
September 30, 2026 · 8 min read
Four plates, one archipelago: ~1,500 felt quakes a year, 10% of the world\'s earthquakes, and the subduction spring underneath it all.
History
The 1994 Northridge Earthquake: 10 Seconds That Changed LA Forever
September 28, 2026 · 9 min read
A 6.7 quake on a fault nobody knew existed — 57 dead, freeways down, and the building codes rewritten in its wake.
Preparedness
What to Do Before an Earthquake: The Complete Preparedness Guide
September 27, 2026 · 10 min read
The shaking is the one phase you can't control — everything before it is yours. Family plan, secured furniture, shutoffs, documents, early warnings, and drills.
Preparedness
What to Do After an Earthquake: The Complete Recovery Guide
September 26, 2026 · 11 min read
The shaking stopped — now what? Gas leaks, fires, aftershocks, safe cleanup, insurance photos, and the emotional aftershocks nobody warns you about.
News
The 2026 New Caledonia Earthquake: M6.6 Off Tadine
September 25, 2026 · 6 min read
A shallow Mw 6.6 off the Loyalty Islands — 80 km from Tadine, no tsunami flag yet. What the first hours of data tell us.
Preparedness
What to Do During an Earthquake: The Complete Safety Guide
September 25, 2026 · 10 min read
Drop, Cover, and Hold On — plus what to do in bed, in the car, in a crowd, on the coast, and the three myths that get people killed.
News
The 2026 Mindanao Earthquake: M7.8 Off Southern Philippines
September 23, 2026 · 11 min read
A Mw 7.8 Cotabato Trench thrust killed 107 and damaged 138,500+ homes. Tsunami to 2.5 m, 8,500+ aftershocks across southern Mindanao.
News
The 2026 Flores Earthquake: M7.7 Thrust Rupture Off Eastern Indonesia
September 2, 2026 · 10 min read
A Mw 7.7 shallow thrust off Ende killed 111 and displaced 188,000+. Tsunami waves, 9,700+ aftershocks — the Flores back-arc thrust at full force.
Preparedness
Top 5 Earthquake Safety Gear Worth Buying Before You Need It
August 20, 2026 · 8 min read
Furniture straps, emergency radio, water storage, headlamp, and fire extinguisher — five high-leverage items to buy and install before the shaking starts.
News
The 2026 Colombia Earthquake: M7.4 Beneath the Western Andes
August 15, 2026 · 11 min read
A Mw 7.4 intermediate-depth quake near San José del Palmar killed at least 294. Wide damage from Cali to Pereira — and a lesson in slab earthquakes.
Science
Japan's Shindo Scale vs Mercalli Intensity
August 15, 2026 · 11 min read
Japanese alerts use shindo (0–7); USGS ShakeMaps use Mercalli (I–X+). Both measure local shaking — not magnitude. Here is how to read both.
Science
Induced Seismicity: When Human Activity Triggers Earthquakes
August 15, 2026 · 11 min read
Wastewater injection, geothermal, mining, and reservoirs can nudge stressed faults into slipping. Here is how induced seismicity works — and how to spot it on a live feed.
Science
Fault Types Explained: Strike-Slip, Normal, and Thrust
August 9, 2026 · 11 min read
Strike-slip, normal, and thrust faults are the three basic ways rock slips. Here is how fault type shapes rupture, shaking, and tsunami risk.
Science
How to Read a ShakeMap
August 2, 2026 · 11 min read
A ShakeMap shows where the ground actually shook — not just where the epicenter was. Here is how to read the colors, intensity scale, and first-hour revisions.
Science
Shallow vs Deep Earthquakes: Why Depth Changes Everything
July 28, 2026 · 12 min read
A shallow magnitude 6 can devastate a city while a deep magnitude 8 barely cracks plaster. Here is how hypocenter depth controls shaking — and how to read it on the live feed.
Science
Magnitude vs Intensity: Why the Same Earthquake Feels Completely Different
July 25, 2026 · 11 min read
Magnitude measures the earthquake at the source. Intensity measures shaking where you stand. Here is why a 5.2 can rattle your building while a distant 7.0 barely registers.
News
The 2026 Chiapas Earthquake: Mexico's Pacific Coast Shakes
July 18, 2026 · 6 min read
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Madero, Chiapas at 10 km depth on July 17-18, 2026. Tsunami warnings, 4,000+ evacuated, aftershocks up to M6.0 shook Central America and Mexico.
Science
Liquefaction: When the Ground Becomes Liquid
July 2026 · 9 min read
In 2011, 70% of Urayasu city turned to liquid during the Tōhoku earthquake — without a single wave of tsunami. Liquefaction is the earthquake effect nobody sees coming. Here's the science, the history, and why Japan's cities are especially at risk.
Science
The History of Earthquake Prediction — and Why Science Moved On
July 2026 · 9 min read
From Haicheng and Parkfield to Japan’s prediction program: how decades of earthquake prediction research unfolded, why short-term forecasts failed, and what seismology does instead.
Science
The Earthquake Directly Below Tokyo
July 2026 · 9 min read
Japan's government has modeled a M6.9 earthquake directly under the capital: up to 23,000 deaths, ¥95 trillion in economic damage, and 3.5 million people unable to get home. Here's what the scenario looks like — and why it's harder to plan for than Nankai.
Science
The Nankai Trough: Japan's Next Great Earthquake
July 2026 · 9 min read
Japan's government puts the probability of an M8-9 earthquake along the Nankai Trough at 70–80% within the next 30 years. The last full rupture was 1707. Here's what happens when it breaks — and why Japan has spent decades preparing for it.
Science
What Actually Happens Inside a Building During an Earthquake
July 2026 · 8 min read
In 1985, a Mexico City earthquake collapsed only mid-rise buildings while skyscrapers and small buildings stood untouched. The reason is resonance — and it explains how buildings actually fail, and how modern engineering fights back.
Science
How Tsunami Warnings Work
July 2026 · 8 min read
In 2004, 227,898 people died in an Indian Ocean tsunami — with no warning because no system existed yet. Today, a global network of DART buoys can detect a wave crossing the open ocean and alert coastal governments in minutes. Here's how it works.
History
The 2021 Fukushima Earthquake: An Aftershock, Ten Years Late
July 2026 · 7 min read
At 11:07 PM on February 13, 2021, a M7.3 shook the Fukushima coast — officially an aftershock of the 2011 Tōhoku M9.1, arriving a decade later. 950,000 homes lost power. Cooling water leaked at Fukushima Daiichi. Here's what it revealed.
Science
Why Are There So Many Earthquakes Right Now?
June 2026 · 7 min read
On June 24, three separate earthquakes hit three continents in a single day. June 2026 has logged four M7+ events — double the monthly average. Here's what the data says, and why the planet hasn't actually changed its behavior.
News
The 2026 Venezuela Earthquakes
June 2026 · 6 min read
On June 24, 2026, a Mw 7.2 and Mw 7.5 earthquake struck northern Venezuela 40 seconds apart — the strongest sequence in over 125 years. At least 164 dead, and a lesson in what seismologists call a doublet.
History
The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake: The World Series Quake
June 2026 · 7 min read
At 5:04 PM on October 17, 1989, a M6.9 earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area during the World Series live broadcast. 63 people died — 42 in a single highway collapse. The first major earthquake caught on live television.
History
The 2008 Sichuan Earthquake: Tofu-Dreg Schools
June 2026 · 8 min read
A M7.9 earthquake on the Longmenshan fault killed over 87,000 people. The collapse of schools built with shoddy construction — and the grief the government would not permit — defined its legacy as much as the disaster itself.
History
The 1995 Kobe Earthquake: The Code That Wasn't Enough
June 2026 · 7 min read
In 16 seconds on January 17, 1995, a M6.9 earthquake killed 6,434 people and left 300,000 homeless. Pre-1981 buildings collapsed while newer ones stood. Fires spread through a city with no water to fight them.
History
The 1908 Messina Earthquake: Europe's Deadliest Night
June 2026 · 7 min read
At 5:20 AM on December 28, 1908, a M7.1 earthquake struck the Strait of Messina and simultaneously destroyed two cities. Between 75,000 and 200,000 people died — and the Imperial Russian Navy led the rescue.
History
The 1985 Mexico City Earthquake: The Lake That Wouldn't Let Go
June 2026 · 7 min read
The epicenter was 400 km away. But Mexico City sits on ancient lake sediment that amplified the waves 50x — selectively collapsing mid-rise buildings and killing at least 10,000 people.
History
The 1976 Tangshan Earthquake: The Night a City Disappeared
June 2026 · 7 min read
At 3:42 AM on July 28, 1976, Tangshan was asleep. Twenty-three seconds later, 85% of the city was gone. At least 242,000 dead — and China refused all outside help.
History
The 1755 Lisbon Earthquake: The Disaster That Changed a Century
June 2026 · 7 min read
On All Saints' Day 1755, Lisbon was struck by an earthquake, a tsunami, and five days of fire. Up to 60,000 died — and the disaster forced Enlightenment philosophy to confront the question it had been avoiding.
History
The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake: 228,000 Lives Lost
June 2026 · 7 min read
On December 26, 2004, a M9.1 rupture off the coast of Sumatra sent waves across the Indian Ocean at jet speed. Fourteen countries. No warning system. The deadliest tsunami in recorded history.
History
The 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake: Tokyo in Flames
June 2026 · 6 min read
At 11:58 AM on September 1, 1923, a M7.9 earthquake struck beneath Sagami Bay and destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama. Over 100,000 people died — most of them not from the shaking, but from the firestorm that followed.
History
The 1964 Alaska Earthquake: North America's Biggest Quake
June 2026 · 6 min read
A M9.2 earthquake on Good Friday 1964 shook Alaska for 4 to 5 minutes, launched tsunamis as far as Antarctica, and permanently reshaped coastal towns. Only 139 people died — here's why, and how this quake changed Earth science.
Science
Seismic Waves Explained: P, S, and Surface Waves
June 2026 · 5 min read
When a fault ruptures, energy radiates in different wave types — each travelling at a different speed. Understanding P and S waves is the key to understanding how earthquake early warning systems work.
History
The 2015 Nepal Earthquake: 8,896 Lives
June 2026 · 6 min read
On April 25, 2015, a M7.8 earthquake struck the Kathmandu Valley — killing nearly 9,000 people, destroying 500,000 homes, and exposing how urban geology amplifies seismic risk in developing nations.
Preparedness
The 72-Hour Earthquake Preparedness Kit
June 2026 · 6 min read
After a major earthquake, emergency services can take 72 hours or more to reach everyone. Here's exactly what to stockpile — and why each item earns its place in the kit.
Science
Tsunami Science: How an Earthquake Becomes a Wall of Water
June 2026 · 5 min read
Invisible at sea, devastating at shore. Here's the science behind how a submarine earthquake displaces the ocean and turns into one of nature's most destructive forces — and how warning systems try to get ahead of it.
Guide
How Buildings Are Engineered to Survive Earthquakes
June 2026 · 5 min read
Base isolators, dampers, flexible frames — modern earthquake engineering is a fascinating field. Here's how architects and engineers design structures to sway without collapsing when the ground moves.
History
The 2010 Haiti Earthquake: Why Some Earthquakes Kill More Than Others
June 2026 · 5 min read
The Haiti earthquake was M7.0 — smaller than dozens of quakes that cause little damage. Yet it killed over 200,000 people. The reason has less to do with geology than with poverty, politics, and construction quality.
Science
Tectonic Plates: The Engine Behind Every Earthquake
June 2026 · 5 min read
Every earthquake on Tremr's map is a product of the same force: tectonic plates moving. Here's how the plates work, what drives them, and why some boundaries are far more dangerous than others.
Science
Why Do Aftershocks Happen?
June 2026 · 4 min read
After a major earthquake, smaller quakes can continue for months. Here's why — and how scientists use Omori's Law to estimate how long an aftershock sequence will last.
History
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake: The Quake That Built Modern America
June 2026 · 5 min read
The earthquake lasted less than a minute. The fire that followed burned for three days. The 1906 disaster killed thousands, levelled a city — and permanently changed how America builds, plans, and thinks about seismic risk.
Science
How Earthquake Early Warning Systems Work
June 2026 · 4 min read
Seconds of warning can save lives. Here's how systems like Japan's and California's ShakeAlert detect the first wave of an earthquake and send alerts before the dangerous shaking arrives.
Science
The Cascadia Subduction Zone: The Pacific Northwest's Coming Earthquake
June 2026 · 5 min read
A 1,000-kilometre fault off the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California has been locked and loading since 1700. When it goes, it will be one of the largest disasters in North American history.
History
The 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake: Japan's Darkest Day
June 2026 · 5 min read
On March 11, 2011, a M9.1 earthquake struck Japan — triggering a tsunami, the Fukushima disaster, and nearly 20,000 deaths. The full story of the earthquake that changed Japan forever.
Guide
Living on the San Andreas Fault
June 2026 · 5 min read
Tens of millions of people live directly above one of the most studied fault systems on Earth. What does that actually mean for daily life? How likely is the "Big One"? And what should Californians actually be doing to prepare?
Science
How Do Seismographs Work?
June 2026 · 4 min read
Every earthquake you see on Tremr was detected by a network of instruments buried in the ground around the world. Here's how those sensors work, how they communicate, and how a wiggle on a graph becomes the magnitude number you see on your screen.
History
The 1960 Valdivia Earthquake: The Largest Ever Recorded
June 2026 · 6 min read
On May 22, 1960, southern Chile shook with a force the world had never measured before. Magnitude 9.5. The resulting tsunami crossed the Pacific and killed people as far away as Japan. This is the story of the earthquake that reset what we thought was possible.
Science
What Is the Ring of Fire?
June 2026 · 5 min read
Nearly 90% of all earthquakes happen in one zone — a horseshoe of tectonic fire encircling the Pacific Ocean. Here's what it is, why it exists, and why it shows up as a permanent ring of dots on Tremr's map.