Few people knew what a tectonic plate was before the September 4 quake arrived 10 years ago, in the early hours of the morning.
Afterwards, the Geonet website became a lifeline for Cantabrians trying to find out if they should be worried, during thousands of aftershocks.
Geologists can now build detailed scientific models for earthquakes to plan and prepare for disasters.
They say their research into active faults has advanced hugely as a result of their studies for this event, and the fatal February quake six months later.