From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishearthquakeearth‧quake /ˈɜːθkweɪk $ ˈɜːrθ-/ ●●○ noun [countable] HEGa sudden shaking of the Earth’s surface that often causes a lot of damage → seismic An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck southern California on June 28. The city is in an earthquake zone.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesbig/large This is the biggest earthquake ever recorded in this area.small The town experiences dozens of small earthquakes every year.powerful (=with a lot of force)Flights were cancelled after a powerful earthquake shook the northwest of the country.a major earthquake (=very big)If a major earthquake hits a large city, millions could die.a minor earthquake (=a small one)Minor earthquakes are relatively common.a great/massive earthquake (=extremely big)1906 is remembered for the great earthquake that destroyed San Francisco.a severe/devastating earthquake (=causing a lot of damage)The whole town was flattened by a devastating earthquake.verbsan earthquake happens (also an earthquake occurs formal)Scientists cannot predict when an earthquake will occur.an earthquake hits/strikes a place (=happens in a particular place)The region was struck by a major earthquake last year.an earthquake destroys/damages somethingThe earthquake completely destroyed all the buildings on the island.an earthquake measures 5/6.4 etc on the Richter ScaleThe earthquake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, left more than 20,000 homeless.phrasesthe magnitude of an earthquake (=how powerful it is)Measuring stations identify the location and magnitude of an earthquake within a few minutes of the event.THESAURUSearthquake a sudden shaking of the Earth’s surfaceThe earthquake destroyed homes, telephone lines and roads.quake informal an earthquake – used especially in journalismMore than 2000 people died when a quake hit the island of Flores. tremor a small movement in the Earth’s surface in which the ground shakes slightlyHe was awoken by a series of tremors during the night.aftershock further movements in the Earth’s surface that happen after a larger earthquakeIn the days after the earthquake, the area suffered a series of aftershocks.tsunami an ocean wave caused by an earthquake under the waterThere was no warning of the approaching tsunami.
Examples from the Corpus
earthquake• The 1989 earthquake rendered them dangerous, and the structure came down in 1991.• Kobe was devastated by the 1995 earthquake.• This catastrophe - probably caused by an earthquake and explosion of gases - may be the reason.• A car crash, an earthquake, a burning factory are much better.• I mean, it was more than an earthquake.• They had survived what was, at least, a Pretty Big Onethe largest earthquake to strike northern California in eighty-three years.• There was a terrifying rumbling noise and the stairs shook as though a minor earthquake had passed beneath the house.• The earthquake of October 1989 reminded San Franciscans of the awesome power of the thing. 