Human activity can cause “healed” faults to release their stored strength, triggering unexpected quakes in tectonically stable regions.

The quake came during a cluster that saw over a dozen other earthquakes reported over a 24-hour period, the USGS map shows.

When the ground shakes violently, entire cities can crumble within minutes. Homes, hospitals, roads, and lives can vanish suddenly. Despite advances in technology, predicting when earthquakes will ...