A repeat of the Cape Ann Earthquake could liquefy large parts of Boston and Cambridge, killing hundreds or thousands and causing massive property damage. Earthquakes are insanely massive releases of the energy stored in the Earth. They're a terrifying example of the active Earth. We'll start by talking about some specific earthquakes and their effects on humans and the Earth. Possible eathquakes: Kobe Earthquake, Indian Ocean Earthquake/Tsunami, Cape Ann Earthquake, 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Then we'll shift to a discussion of the theory behind how earthquakes function. We'll use some of this theory to explain the differences between the earthquakes we looked at earlier in the class.