The Latest Breaking News from Earthquakes

Portuguese residents were terrified when the ground started shaking in the early hours of Monday morning last week. Environmental scientist Deborah R Coen explains why they are right to worry about when the big one will hit Lisbon and many other of our favourite destinations in southern Europe

Humanity’s fascination with gold stretches back thousands of years. Gold mining is described in ancient Greek and Roman sources, and gold rushes – especially in the 19th century – played a powerful role in shaping the modern world.

Geologists have known for decades that gold forms in quartz with the help of earthquakes, but now they have worked out exactly how the setting and seismic waves combine to form large nuggets.

About 2,890 kilometres beneath our feet lies a gigantic ball of liquid metal: our planet’s core. Scientists like me use the seismic waves created by earthquakes as a kind of ultrasound to “see” the shape and structure of the core.

On Friday 23 August, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Muswellbrook, New South Wales, shook the state. The earthquake caused local damage and Geoscience Australia received more than 3,600 felt reports, including from Sydney and Canberra, up to 360 kilometres away.

Hunter Valley locals debate mining's role in recent earthquakes.

It was the largest earthquake in the Hunter Valley in 20 years.

Beachgoers found a rare oarfish off California two days before an earthquake, mirroring folklore that says the deep-sea creatures are "doomsday fish."

Kayak adventurers found an incredibly rare, 4-meter-long “sea serpent” washed ashore in San Diego. It was the latest in only 20 encounters in California waters since 1901. The post “Bad Omen”: Rare Sea Serpent Surfaces In San Diego Waters, Linked To Earthquake Legend first appeared on Bored Panda.

After a series of natural disasters – from the Canterbury earthquakes to Cyclone Gabrielle – real doubt hangs over the insurance options available to some New Zealand homeowners.

Recent seismic activity in Southern California raises concerns about earthquake preparedness in the region.