Collocations for earthquake - noun

big, great, huge, major, massive, severe | minor, small

happen, hit sth, occur, strike (sth)
The earthquake hit the city at two in the morning.

shake sth
The earthquake shook buildings throughout the business district.

destroy sth, devastate sth, kill sb, leave sb homeless | measure sth
an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale

zone

in a/the ~
The block of flats was destroyed in an earthquake.

the epicentre of an earthquake, the magnitude of an earthquake