logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2019
27m 26s

Why Do Earthquakes Happen?

Vermont Public
About this episode

Why do earthquakes happen? How do the tectonic plates move underground? How do we stay safe during an earthquake? Why are continents so far apart? Why do buildings sometimes catch fire after earthquakes? Why are there tsunamis after earthquakes? For this week's show we headed to California to visit Jennifer Strauss at the Berkeley Seismology Lab and we hear from Celeste Labedz at the California Institute of Technology.

Download our listening guides: PDF | Google Slides | Transcript

Up next
Jun 27
Why do some people like spicy food?
Ever wondered why some spices burn your throat while others tickle your nose? Or why some of us live for spicy foods while others sweat at the mere thought of a habanero? How do pickles stay crunchy if they’re sitting in brine for weeks on end? And why do we have such different f ... Show More
28m 28s
Jun 13
Why do we need to use sunscreen?
It’s summer and that means slathering yourself with sunblock before you’re allowed to go run around outside. Not everyone loves that ritual: sunscreen can be cold or sticky. Sometimes it gets in your eyes, and it always feels like it’s time to reapply JUST as you’re about to jump ... Show More
22m 15s
May 30
Are horseshoe crabs…crabs?
How did horseshoe crabs get their names? Are they even crabs? And did they really exist before the dinosaurs? Early spring presents a unique opportunity to see these living fossils up close as they scuttle up to the shoreline along the Atlantic coast of the United States to mate ... Show More
34m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2023
Understanding Earthquake Aftershocks
Monday another earthquake struck southeastern Turkey, near the Syrian border. This time, the quake registered as a magnitude 6.3 — an order lower than the initial, devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake and the magnitude 7.5 aftershock that struck the area two weeks ago on Feb. 6. ... Show More
10m 17s
Feb 2023
Why Can't We Predict Earthquakes?
In the wake of the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria, many scientists have been saying this area was "overdue" for a major quake. But no one knew just when: No scientist has "ever predicted a major earthquake," the U.S. Geological Survey says. Even the most promising earthqu ... Show More
12m 19s
Dec 2020
ELI5 Earthquakes - how do they design buildings to withstand them?
If an earthquake is the moving of a giant plate, why is the epicenter a single point and not the entire fault line? How do they make buildings earthquake proof? When did an earthquake shift an entire island?   ... We explain like i'm five!   Thank you to the r/explainlikeimfive c ... Show More
7m 56s
Oct 2019
Digging Up Disaster
How did an ancient Roman harbor end up in ruins? Scientists realized the culprit was a long-forgotten natural disaster that left tell-tale geological clues -- and possibly an eyewitness account in an ancient religious text. But solving this mystery led to a bigger question: what ... Show More
28m 34s
Feb 2023
Turkey-Syria earthquake
In the early hours of Monday, a powerful earthquake hit Kahramanmaras in Turkey. Nine hours later another struck. When this edition of Science in Action first aired, 19,000 people were reported to have died, but that number was expected to rise. Back in 2016, Professor Asli Garag ... Show More
32m 15s
Oct 2016
The Orphan Tsunami
In January of 1700, a tsunami struck the coast of Japan. While the connection between earthquakes and tsunamis was known, it actually took a very long time to figure out where the catalyzing earthquake had taken place. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcast ... Show More
29m 56s
Nov 2023
Thousands of earthquakes in Iceland may spell a volcanic eruption
Saturday, the entire coastal town of Grindavik, Iceland was evacuated. That's because over the weekend, the country experienced nearly 2,000 earthquakes within 48 hours. And they've kept coming since then – in swarms. Scientists think the quakes are indicative of magma moving clo ... Show More
13m 14s
Nov 2023
Seismic analyst tells us about earthquakes in Labrador
A two-point-nine earthquake was recorded near Postville a few weeks ago. It happened about 18-kilometres below the crust of the earth. We're going to hear more. 
6m 44s
Jan 2023
Is Earth the only planet with tectonic plates?
Happy Planet Week! Did you know the Earth’s outer layer has big rocky sheets called tectonic plates that move back and forth up to six inches every year? As they move, these wiggly jiggly plates can create mountain ranges, cause volcanoes to erupt, and sometimes trigger earthquak ... Show More
5m 55s
Apr 2022
Seismology
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the study of earthquakes. A massive earthquake in 1755 devastated Lisbon, and this disaster helped inspire a new science of seismology which intensified after San Francisco in 1906 and advanced even further with the need to monitor nuclear tests ar ... Show More
49m 35s