Lucy Jones is interviewed about a recent California earthquake.

Caltech Science Exchange / Topics / Earthquakes / Lucy Jones

Ask a Caltech Expert: Lucy Jones on Earthquakes

Find answers to common questions about earthquakes from seismologist and science communicator Lucy Jones, a visiting associate in geophysics at Caltech and the founder of the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society.

Watch the videos below to learn what supplies you need to prepare for life after an earthquake, why it is safer to be under a table than in a door frame during shaking, and whether earthquakes trigger other natural disasters such as volcanoes and tsunamis.

Special thanks to the Jones Center for their partnership in creating these videos.

Question 1

“The idea that a lot of small earthquakes will mean we don’t have to have a big one has no basis in reality.”

Question 2

"Getting that protected void so that you can wait until you are rescued is most likely to happen under a sturdy table.”

Question 3

“First is water. Second is water. Third is water, and the rest of it all comes somewhere after that.”

Question 4

"This is the human need to form patterns rather than any actual physical phenomenon."

Question 5

“The majority of tsunamis happen because of earthquakes—an earthquake that changes the shape of the seafloor.”

Question 6

“We can … [learn] about the earth from the ways the waves travel through.”

Question 7

“It may be that the earth doesn’t have the information about how big an earthquake will be before it begins."