# data[].attributes.body
An explosive eruption is a volcanic term to describe a violent, explosive type of eruption.

# data[].attributes.body
1. A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters.

# data[].attributes.body
1. A volcano is a rupture on the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. Earth's volcanoes occur because its crust is broken into 17 major, rigid tectonic plates that float on a hotter, softer layer in its mantle.

# data[].attributes.body
1. A volcano tectonic earthquake is an earthquake induced by the movement (injection or withdrawal) of magma. The movement results in pressure changes in the rock around where the magma has experienced stress. At some point, the rock may break or move.

# data[].attributes.body
Rictor scale - smaller earthquake following the main shock of a large earthquake.is a base-10 logarithmic scale, which defines magnitude as the logarithm of the ratio of the amplitude of the seismic waves to an arbitrary, minor amplitude

# data[].attributes.body
1. An aftershock is a smaller earthquake that occurs after a previous large earthquake, in the same area of the main shock. If an aftershock is larger than the main shock, the aftershock is redesignated as the main shock and the original main shock is redesignated as a foreshock.

# data[].attributes.body
P-waves are a type of body wave that is the first wave to arrive at the seismograph, called seismic waves in seismology, that can travel through a continuum

# data[].attributes.body
S wave A type of elastic wave, the S-wave, secondary wave, or shear wave  is one of the two main types of elastic body waves, so named because they move through the body of an object, unlike surface

# data[].attributes.body
- A transform fault or transform boundary, also known as conservative plate boundary since these faults neither create nor destroy lithosphere, is a type of fault.

# data[].attributes.body
the center of interest or activity.

# data[].attributes.body
point on the earth's surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake

# data[].attributes.body
an unattractive or unsatisfactory feature, especially in a piece of work or in a person's character

# data[].attributes.headline
On average, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year and some 10,000 people die in earthquakes annually. Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives, but the destruction is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods, or tsunamis. Smaller temblors that usually occur in the days following a large earthquake can complicate rescue efforts and cause further death and destruction.

# data[].attributes.subject
On average, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year and some 10,000 people die in earthquakes annually. Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives, but the destruction is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods, or tsunamis. Smaller temblors that usually occur in the days following a large earthquake can complicate rescue efforts and cause further death and destruction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Latest Earthquakes

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southern Mexico on the evening of February 16, sending tremors through the Mexican state of Oaxaca and surrounding regions. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the damage will not be as severe as the earthquake that rocked Mexico City in September 2017.

About Earthquakes

Earthquakes, also called temblors, can be so tremendously destructive, it's hard to imagine they occur by the thousands every day around the world, usually in the form of small tremors. See the latest earthquakes and learn how to stay safe during these disastrous events.

Where Do Most Earthquakes Occur?

Some 80 percent of all the planet's earthquakes occur along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, called the "Ring of Fire" because of the preponderance of volcanic activity there as well. Most earthquakes occur at fault zones, where tectonic plates-giant rock slabs that make up the Earth's upper layer-collide or slide against each other.

These impacts are usually gradual and unnoticeable on the surface; however, immense stress can build up between plates. When this stress is released quickly, it sends massive vibrations, called seismic waves, often hundreds of miles through the rock and up to the surface. Other quakes can occur far from faults zones when plates are stretched or squeezed.

Earthquake Magnitude Ratings and Their Impacts

Scientists assign a magnitude rating to earthquakes based on the strength and duration of their seismic waves. A quake measuring 3 to 5 is considered minor or light; 5 to 7 is moderate to strong; 7 to 8 is major; and 8 or more is great.

On average, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year and some 10,000 people die in earthquakes annually. Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives, but the destruction is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods, or tsunamis. Smaller temblors that usually occur in the days following a large earthquake can complicate rescue efforts and cause further death and destruction.

Loss of life can be avoided through emergency planning, education, and the construction of buildings that sway rather than break under the stress of an earthquake.

Warning: Some of the photos below contain graphic imagery.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learn Where Earthquakes Happen and How They're Rated

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Latest Earthquakes A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck southern Mexico on the evening of February 16, sending tremors through the Mexican state of Oaxaca and surrounding regions. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the damage will not be as severe as the earthquake that rocked Mexico City in September 2017.