Latest Earthquake Headlines

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

Nepal Earthquake Losses Could Top $2 Billion; Sparse Insurance Coverage

Apr 27 2015 // The earthquake that struck Nepal caused about $2 billion in economic losses in the country, and only a fraction of the cost will be incurred by insurers, according to Kinetic Analysis Corp. Damage in India could cost an...

Deadly Quake in Nepal; Aftershocks, Weather Hamper Rescue: AIR Analysis

Apr 27 2015 // As scenes of devastation flashed around the world, the destruction and loss of life from the most severe earthquake to hit Nepal in 80 years has become apparent. Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide said the quake...

Bill Banning Local Drilling Rules Passes Oklahoma House

Apr 24 2015 // Legislation that prohibits cities and towns from regulating oil and natural gas drilling operations was approved by the Oklahoma House on April 22, one day after the Oklahoma Geological Survey said it is “very...

Scientists: Western Migration Has Put 143M Americans in Quake-Prone Areas

Apr 24 2015 // More than 143 million people in the mainland states now live on shaky ground, earthquake scientists say. That’s because more people have moved into the quake-prone West Coast and some quake zones were recently...

California Department of Insurance Approves CEA Rate Reduction

Apr 23 2015 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones approved a statewide rate reduction of 10 percent for earthquake insurance policies issued by the California Earthquake Authority. The reduction is effective Jan. 1, 2016. Jones...

Oklahoma Geologists Also See Earthquake-Injection Well Link

Apr 23 2015 // The Oklahoma Geological Survey said it is “very likely” that most of the state’s recent earthquakes were triggered by the subsurface injection of wastewater from oil and natural gas drilling...

Texas Earthquake Swarm Linked to Drilling, Wastewater Injection

Apr 22 2015 // With real-time monitors, scientists have linked a swarm of small earthquakes west of Fort Worth, Texas, to nearby natural gas wells and wastewater injection. In 84 days from November 2013 to January 2014, the area around...

Earthquake Fault Puts California at Risk For Tsunami

Apr 21 2015 // Scientists say the earthquake fault that runs through the coastal city of Ventura, Calif. can produce strong shaking and dangerous tsunamis, prompting state officials to study whether to revise hazard maps. The Los Angeles...

Penn.: Fracking Exclusion Not Allowed in Homeowners Earthquake Endorsements

Apr 15 2015 // The Pennsylvania Insurance Department issued a notice telling insurance companies that earthquake endorsements to homeowners insurance policies in Pennsylvania cannot exclude coverage for earthquakes that may be caused by...

M3.5 Earthquake Felt Across Los Angeles Area

Apr 14 2015 // A small earthquake was felt across a wide area of Los Angeles on Sunday night, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injury. The magnitude-3.5 quake struck at 9:17 p.m., the U.S. Geological Survey said. Los...

How Another Country’s Insurance Industry Is Facing Climate Change

Apr 9 2015 // Tim Grafton, chief executive of the Insurance Council of New Zealand, lives in a country surrounded by risk on all sides, and he’s unabashed in his efforts to use flooding events, frequent storms or other...

CEA Says It’s Seen No Fracking-Related Earthquake Claims

Apr 8 2015 // The California Earthquake Authority, the state-run insurance pool that is the primary source of residential earthquake coverage in the Golden State, says it hasn’t received any claims that assert human-caused...

3.6 Magnitude Missouri Temblor Shows Need for Quake Insurance, Regulator Says

Apr 7 2015 // No damage was reported from a magnitude 3.6 earthquake in southeast Missouri on April 1, but the state’s insurance director says it night illustrated the need for earthquake insurance coverage The quake occurred at...

Feds to Release New Earthquake Hazard Map for Oklahoma

Apr 6 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey is expected to release a new hazard map for earthquakes in Oklahoma. The Oklahoman reports that data collection has continued with the help of the Oklahoma Geological Survey after the state...

More Counties Added to Oklahoma Earthquake Watch List

Mar 30 2015 // Oklahoma officials are expanding the number of counties that are included in earthquake “areas of interest,” and asking nearly 100 companies to prove their oil and gas waste-water disposal wells are not too...

California, Others Seek Full Funding For West Coast Quake Warning

Mar 26 2015 // Three dozen members of Congress from California, Oregon and Washington are pressing for full funding of a West Coast earthquake early warning system. The group this week sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee...

California Bill Seeks Reports on Water Infrastructure Vulnerability to Quakes

Mar 25 2015 // At the start of a fourth-straight year of drought, California state Sen. Bob Hertzberg has introduced a bill requiring regional water-management officials to report the vulnerability of their water systems to an...

Feds to Release New Earthquake Hazard Map for Oklahoma

Mar 23 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey is expected to release a new hazard map for earthquakes in Oklahoma. The Oklahoman reports that data collection has continued with the help of the Oklahoma Geological Survey after the state...

CEA Kicks off Earthquake Insurance Selling Program for Agents

Mar 23 2015 // The California Earthquake Authority has again kicked off its annual “Marketing Value Program,” in which the quasi-private earthquake insurer encourages agents to sign up to receive direct mail marketing...

Increased Chance of Big One in Long-Term Quake Forecast for California

Mar 23 2015 // Chances that California will experience a magnitude 8 or larger earthquake in the next 30 years has increased from 4.7 to 7.0 percent, according to an earthquake forecast by the U.S. Geological Survey and its partners. The...