Latest Earthquake Headlines

All the headlines from our Earthquake Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Small Earthquake Shakes Rural Area North Of San Francisco

Feb 14 2012 // A small earthquake has shaken a rural area of Northern California about 90 miles north of San Francisco, but there are no reports of any damages or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-4.4 quake struck...

Building Toppled by New Zealand Quake Was Substandard

Feb 13 2012 // A six-story building that collapsed and killed 115 people in last year’s New Zealand earthquake was made of weak columns and concrete and did not meet standards when it was built, the government said Thursday. The...

Earthquake Shakes Switzerland; No Damage Reported

Feb 13 2012 // The Swiss Seismological Service said a moderate earthquake shook Switzerland with the epicenter in the northcentral canton Zug and Lake Zurich area. The Zurich-based service said Sunday that the magnitude-4.2 quake could...

Rescuers Dig to Reach People Trapped by Philippines 6.9 Earthquake

Feb 7 2012 // Rescuers dug with picks and shovels trying to reach dozens of people trapped under houses collapsed by a strong earthquake Monday that shook a central Philippine island and set off landslides. At least 13 people were...

8 States to Hold Earthquake Drills Today

Feb 7 2012 // Eight states are expected to take part in an earthquake drill today that will be conducted throughout the central United States on the 200th anniversary of the 1812 New Madrid earthquakes. The event is called the 2012...

Minor Earthquake Shakes North-Central Utah

Feb 6 2012 // Scientists say a minor earthquake has shaken the Utah Valley, but apparently causing no injuries or property damage. The University of Utah Seismograph Stations report the magnitude 3.7 quake occurred around 4:27 a.m....

Global Mining Insurance Market Capacity Down 30% After Losses: Willis

Feb 6 2012 // In 2011, the mining insurance market was not only hit by $2.7 billion in natural catastrophe losses, but over 60 operational losses totaling $835 million. The $3.5 billion total estimate of losses facing mining insurers...

Utah Offers New Earthquake Hazard Maps for Salt Lake County

Feb 3 2012 // Utah is selling new maps that show the shaking intensity of earthquakes for the west half of Salt Lake County. The set of 10 maps also spotlights the risks of landslides, rock falls, floods, radon gas and other hazards in...

Haiti, Dominican Republic May Be Entering Big Earthquake Period

Feb 2 2012 // Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic could be in for a period of periodic powerful earthquakes, according to a recent scientific study. The study says Haiti’s 7.0-magnitude earthquake two years ago is likely...

Nuclear Accidents Pose Little Risk to U.S. Health, Say Regulators

Feb 2 2012 // The risk to public health from a severe nuclear power plant accident in the United States is “very small” because reactor operators should have time to prevent core damage and reduce the release of radioactive...

Measures Taken To Earthquake-Proof Alaskan Hospital

Jan 31 2012 // For decades, the people who oversaw Fairbanks Memorial Hospital shared a comforting thought about the building—even if a powerful earthquake struck, they were confident it would remain standing. But in the past few...

Strong Quake Jolts Eastern Japan

Jan 30 2012 // A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 jolted eastern Japan on Saturday morning, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage and no tsunami warning was issued. The focus of the tremor was 20 km...

Companies Partner on Smaller Earthquake Insurance Risks

Jan 26 2012 // Insurance Company of the West (ICW) and WKFC Underwriting Managers have announced a continued expansion of the relationship between the firms for commercial earthquake insurance. The partnership between ICW Group and WKFC...

Study: Major Earthquake Could Hit Tokyo Within Years

Jan 25 2012 // A new study is warning that the Tokyo region has a 70 percent chance of being hit directly by a powerful magnitude-7 earthquake within four years. The study by University of Tokyo seismologists bases the estimate on an...

U.S. Nuclear Plants Need Better Safety Against Earthquakes, Floods: Panel

Jan 23 2012 // An expert task force convened by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission called Japan’s nuclear disaster “unacceptable” and concluded that nuclear power plants in the U.S. need better protections for rare,...

Indiana City Getting New Earthquake Risk Maps

Jan 19 2012 // Government officials and Evansville residents soon will have access to a new set of maps detailing areas at greatest risk of damage from strong earthquakes that periodically shake southwestern Indiana. The maps will be...

Swiss Re Report Examines Insurance Role in Earthquake Disasters

Jan 17 2012 // Swiss Re’s new report – “Lessons from recent major earthquakes,” focuses on the most recent series of devastating quakes, which have caused extensive loss of life and injuries, along with widespread...

Alabama Man Tracks Earthquakes from Basement

Jan 16 2012 // Down in the basement of Steve Jones’ southeast Huntsville home, just past the electrical workshop, is a door into an unfinished sub-basement. Here, on a concrete base on a rock outcropping, sits Jones’ latest...

Company Cautions Against Linking Well, Ohio Quakes

Jan 13 2012 // Boos, applause and the occasional outburst marked a gathering of about 500 Ohio residents seeking explanations for a series of earthquakes that has hit their area since deep injection drilling came to town. At a news...

Aon Benfield 2011 Catastrophe Study: $107 Bn Insured Losses; $435 Bn Economic

Jan 10 2012 // Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon Corp, has issued its “Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report,” which aggregates and analyses the natural disaster perils that...