EARTHQUAKES AND SEISMIC WAVES

Find out all about earthquakes and seismic waves. You will find out what causes an earthquake, the dramatic effects they have and what they can tell us about the Earth’s deep interior.

Full view of the ground with the San Andreas fault running through the middle of the image. A 30 foot steam offset from the 1857 earthquake can be seen near the right edge of the image.

Credit: Scott Haefner, U.S. Geological Survey. Public domain.

Natural Hazards

The 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption was the most destructive in U.S. history. Fifty-seven people died, more than 200 homes were destroyed, and more than 185 miles of roads and 15 miles of railways were damaged.

All earthquakes, with a magnitude above 2.5, which have occurred since January the 1st, 2000 (that’s a little more than 500k earthquakes in total).

Following the annotations (use the arrows on the side of your screen on mobile) will pinpoint some of the most intense or deadly seismic events of the last 20 years.

The Earth

Earthquakes