Earthquakes: Nature’s unpredictable force. Discover causes, safety measures & historical quakes that shaped the world. Essential reading for disaster preparedness!
Early Morning Quake in Johor Bahru On Sunday, Aug 24, the usually calm Malaysian state of Johor woke up to an unusual natural event. At exactly 6.15am, a 4.1-magnitude earthquake struck 5km west of Segamat at a depth of 10km, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). In a Facebook post, the department said the…
When the Ground Roared: Queensland’s Seismic Shock Last Saturday at 9.49am, millions of Queenslanders felt their world shift. Geoscience Australia confirmed a magnitude 5.6 earthquake—the largest onshore event in 50 years. Centered in a remote area near Goomeri, northwest of the Sunshine Coast, its shallow depth of 2km amplified the impact. Brisbane residents 200 kilometres away described intense vibrations lasting 7 to 10 seconds. As a seismology researcher, I’ve analyzed quakes worldwide, but the seismic chaos in southeast Queensland felt uniquely jarring—like nature’s unexpected roar tearing through our rarely-seismic state. Tremors rippled across Cairns, Sydney, and Glen Innes in New South Wales, with 12,500 felt reports flooding Geoscience Australia’s Earthquakes web page. Lucinda Ross in Kilkivan (just 80 kilometres from…
The Immediate Surge: Tracking Taal’s Restlessness Standing near the shores of Batangas last Wednesday, I felt the ground hum – a sensation veteran volcanologists recognize instantly. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) confirmed my unease in their morning bulletin: 31 volcanic earthquakes recorded in the past 24 hours, accompanied by 30 volcanic tremors. One tremor lasted precisely one minute – long enough to make my coffee ripple in…
The Hidden Symphony Beneath Tenerife During the dead hours of August 6 and 7, 2025, I watched our seismic monitors flicker like frantic fireflies. Beneath Tenerife’s sleeping landscape, 750 earthquakes rattled the depths of the Teide–Pico Viejo volcanic complex—a phenomenon that unfolded in just 11-hour. As a scientist who’s stood on Pico Viejo’s rim during the 2016 unrest, this extraordinary swarm felt like the volcano’s heart breathes deeply. Two distinct clusters erupted: First, 55 volcano-tectonic quakes between 21:30 LT and 00:10 LT, concentrated at 8–14 km beneath the southwestern flank. Scientists call this fracturing of brittle rock—maximum magnitude 1.5. Then, at 02:00 UTC, a second burst: over 700 hybrid-type events by 07:30 UTC, characterized by very low magnitudes (below 1). These tremors, undetectable to locals, whisper of fluids (magmatic gases or hydrothermal waters) squeezing through cracks. Itahiza Domínguez, director of IGN, later confirmed…
Timeline of the Seismic Event On Sunday, July 20, 2025, at 7:48 AM EDT (CBS/AP), powerful undersea earthquakes struck Russia’s Pacific coast. The strongest quake, magnitude 7.4, hit 144 kilometers (89 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky—a city of 180,000 population—at a depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles) (U.S. Geological Survey). Minutes earlier, a smaller 6.7 magnitude tremor rattled the same east coast (GFZ data). Russian state media cited local geologists reporting two dozen aftershocks, though their strength was receding. Residents felt tremors for a minute, causing people to run from buildings (TASS news agency). Tsunami Alerts and Emergency Actions The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially warned of major waves, triggering danger protocols. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry urged coastal settlements to move 2-3 kilometres inland or seek elevations of 30-40 metres. Hawaii also received a tsunami watch (U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center), later cancelled. Despite fears of 60 cm waves near the regional capital, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the threat ended within two hours later. MOSCOW’s emergency services lifted all alerts after confirming no reports of casualties or damage. Local services shifted to high alert, with specialists preparing examination of structures (Main Department, Ministry of Emergency Situations). Historical Context and Scientific Insights This evoked backstory from Nov. 4, 1952, when a 9.0 magnitude quake near Kamchatka Peninsula triggered 9.1-meter (30-foot) waves in Hawaii—causing damage but no deaths….
The Morning Everything Shook Living near Vesuvius, you grow used to rumbles, but today was different. At 9:14 AM (or 9.14am if you check Italian media), a strong tremor hit—magnitude 4.0. I was sipping coffee in Vomero when the earth shakes began. My wardrobe moved violently, and a loud, clear boom echoed. Across Naples, panic surged. Residents in historic center, Ponticelli, Capodichino, and Secondigliano flooded the streets. Social media exploded: “Terrifying!” wrote one; “Whole building shaking!” another. The epicenter? Just 3 km deep in Pozzuoli’s Dazio area, part of…
A Shallow but Violent Quake Rocks Campi Flegrei On March 13, 2025, at 00:25 UTC (01:25 LT), a shallow earthquake of M4.4 magnitude hit Italy’s Campi Flegrei region. The INGV (National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology) registered it at just 2 km (1.2 miles) depth, making the shaking feel even more intense. This wasn’t just another tremor—experts confirmed it matched the strongest event in 40 years, with unprecedented ground accelerations suggesting greater intensity. The Vesuvius Observatory warned that this was…
A Night of Terror: Earthquakes Strike Without Warning On July 8, 2025, Guatemala was rocked by a 5.6 magnitude earthquake that turned into a nightmare. Two people died instantly when huge rocks fell on their vehicle in Escuintla, crushing them on a local road. But that was just the beginning. Within hours, dozens of earthquakes and aftershocks—ranging from 3.0 to 5.7—shook the country. Edwin Rodas, Director of the National Institute of Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology,…
When the Ground Roared On June 30, 2025, southern Italy’s Campi Flegrei area shuddered during lunchtime. At 12:47 local time (10:47 UTC), a 4.6-magnitude earthquake – the strongest tremor here in 40 years – struck near Bacoli area at a depth of 4 km (2.5 miles). I’ve monitored this volatile region for decades, but watching seismic swarm data spike that afternoon felt unnerving. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) confirmed this strongest quake surpassed recent M4.4 quakes from March 13 and May…
When the Ground Speaks: A Night of Rattled Nerves As someone who’s tracked seismic activity in the Philippines for years, I can tell you: when earth moves here, it demands attention. On June 28, exactly 00:24 AM, a M4.6 earthquake shakes Davao Oriental—struck roughly 63 km S-E of Manay at 34 km depth. I felt it myself; that shallow jolt is unmistakable. PHIVOLCS confirms it was tectonic origin, no volcanic link, but let’s be clear: 4.6 magnitude isn’t just a number on a screen. For communities in towns like Governor…