Written in 1912 by the Cambridge scholar and mathematician Charles Davison, The Origin of Earthquakes offers an overview of what Davison described as 'the varied phenomena of earthquakes'. Using case studies from around the world, Davison considers the origin of several different classes of earthquakes, including simple, twin and complex. Further attention is devoted to the growth of faults, fore-shocks and after-shocks, sympathetic earthquakes, earthquake sounds and distribution, with supplementary illustrations and maps. Offering contemporary assessments of events ranging from the Mino-Owari earthquake of 1891 to the Californian earthquake of 1906, this volume will appeal to anyone interested in the history and development of seismology in the early part of the twentieth century.