This gradual accumulation and release of stress and strain is now referred to as the "elastic rebound theory" of earthquakes. Most earthquakes are the result of the sudden elastic rebound of ...

The first earthquake struck while the town was still asleep. Around 2:00 am on Dec. 16, 1811, New Madrid—a small frontier settlement of 400 people on land now located in Missouri—was jolted awake.

SAN FRANCISCO – Was that an earthquake you just felt or merely a big truck rumbling by? You don't have to wonder – the U.S. Geological Survey is on the case and can almost immediately tell you whether ...

Another 2.6-magnitude earthquake rattled Tennessee on July 9 around 8:52 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey - but you might not even have noticed. The earthquake happened in Greenback, ...