An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Tons of great resources for learning about the science of earthquakes.
The Science of Earthquakes
What is an earthquake? What causes earthquakes and where do they happen? Why do they make the earth shake? How are they recorded? How do scientists measure the size of earthquakes? How can scientists tell where an earthquake happened? And more...
How many earthquakes occur every year? What is the largest earthquake in the U.S.? What is a sieche? Which 4 states have the fewest earthquakes? Can humans hear earthquakes? What is the earliest recorded evidence of an earthquake? And more...