This gradual accumulation and release of stress and strain is now referred to as the "elastic rebound theory" of earthquakes. Most earthquakes are the result of the sudden elastic rebound of ...

Earthquakes happen when the Earth’s crust suddenly shifts. The crust is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates, ...

Global distribution of natural and induced seismicity. Natural earthquakes with moment magnitude higher than 5 are color-coded according to their hypocenter depth (upper right colorbar, U.S.

Each year, approximately 20,000 earthquakes occur globally. Even though most of these earthquakes are weak or occur in unpopulated areas, their destructive potential is clear. While richer nations ...