Which country has the most earthquakes and where was the biggest quake ever recorded?
EARTHQUAKES - such as the ones which shook Indonesia and Mexico - are capable of causing catastrophic damage, destruction and death.
But in which countries are they most common and where was the biggest one ever recorded? Here's the latest...
Which country has the most earthquakes?
Japan has the most recorded earthquakes in the world as it sits on a highly active seismic area, but research by the US Geological Survey suggests the answer is not quite as straightforward as it may seem.
Indonesia is thought to sit on an even more seismically active area, but due to its size Japan records more earthquakes.
Tonga, Fiji and Indonesia probably all experience more earthquakes per square mile than Japan, but due to a lack of recording equipment in these areas some smaller quakes are not logged.
The countries which experience the most catastrophic earthquakes are China and Turkey.
Where was the biggest earthquake ever recorded?
Scientists give earthquakes a magnitude rating 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.
The largest quake ever recorded was near Valdivia, in southern Chile on May 22, 1960.
It was measured at a magnitude of 9.5, lasted for 10 minutes and triggered a tsunami.
Estimates of the number killed by the natural disaster in Chile vary between 1,000 and 6,000.
The deadliest, and second largest, earthquake ever recorded struck the island of Sumatra in Indonesia in 2004.
The magnitude 9.3 quake triggered a catastrophic tsunami in the Indian Ocean which is believed to have killed more than 280,000 people in several countries.
What happened in the Iraq-Iran earthquake?
At least 328 people were killed and 2,500 people were injured after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook Iran and Iraq.
Around 70,000 people were left in need of emergency shelter after tremors were felt across the Middle East, including Turkey, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
The quake was centred 32km south west of Halabjah, near the north eastern border with Iran, and struck at a depth of 25km.
Mum-of-three Majida Ameer who ran out of her building in Iraq's Salihiya district said: “I was sitting with my kids having dinner and suddenly the building was just dancing in the air.
“I thought at first that it was a huge bomb. But then I heard everyone around me screaming ‘Earthquake!'”
What happened in Mexico Earthquake?
This magnitude 8.1 earthquake killed 15 people in Mexico including a baby and triggered a mini-tsunami.
It is the strongest one to hit the country in 100 years.
The quake toppled buildings and sent people running into the streets on the south coast.
Eight countries in Central America were set to be battered by the three-metre tsunami.
On September 19, another earthquake struck Mexico City, the country's capital but the US Geological Survey says the 7.1 earthquake was too far from the 8.1 quake that struck the country 11 days ago to be treated as an aftershock.
On February 16, 2018, yet another earthquake hit the region with a powerful 7.2 magnitude.
What happened in the Lombok earthquake?
A sizeable earthquake measuring 6.4 struck the Indonesian island of Lombok on July 29, 2018.
The quake hit at 6.47am while many people were still sleeping, causing many buildings to collapse.
The quake was so powerful it could be felt on the neighbouring island of Bali - Indonesia's top tourist destination and a top travel spot for Brits.
Around 66 quakes were recorded after the initial tremor, with the largest aftershock recorded at 5.7 magnitude, said the disaster mitigation agency.
A second quake hit the island on August 5 measuring 6.9.
Another powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 hit on August 9, 2018.
Yet another quake hit on August 19, measuring 6.3.
The death toll for the tragedy has so far exceeded 460, while more than 1,400 were injured across Bali and Lombok,
Are there ever earthquakes in the UK?
The UK is not associated with earthquakes but between 20 and 30 are felt each year and a few hundred recorded by sensitive instruments.
Most are very small and cause no damage.
On July 18, 2018, the British Geological Survey recorded an earthquake in Surrey just after 1.30pm.
The quake, registered at 2.7, was the sixth to shake the area near both Gatwick and Heathrow airports in just four weeks - and raised the unlikely spectre of a "Big One" hitting London.
In February 2018 a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck near Swansea.
The most damaging earthquake to shake the UK hit Colchester in 1884 and damaged about 1,200 buildings, according to the British Geological Society.
The largest known British earthquake occurred in the North Sea, near the Dogger Bank in 1931, with a magnitude of 6.1.
Scientists believe the largest possible earthquake in the UK would be about magnitude 6.5.
LATEST ON EARTHQUAKES
What causes earthquakes?
Earthquakes are caused by the movement of tectonic plates.
Some 80 per cent occur around the rim of the Pacific Ocean.
The plates - giant rock slabs that make up the Earth's upper layer - are always slowly moving.
They often collide and slide against each other, according to .
This impact can be unnoticeable on the surface but can cause immense stress between the plates.
When this stress is released, it causes massive vibrations, called seismic waves, often hundreds of miles through the rock to the surface.
There are fears that there is a "big one" on the way after a flurry of volcanic activity in the Pacific's "Ring of Fire".
A study from California says that the cluster of tremors around the planet's so-called Ring of Fire- a horseshoe-shaped geological disaster zone - could indicate the "big one" is due to hit.
The research, published in the journal Science Advances, involved analysis of 101 major earthquakes around the Pacific Ring of Fire between 1990 and 2016.