Earthquake: related to mystical matters?

Does God use earthquakes to punish people for their sins?

Some Muslims believe so.

But, clearly, earthquakes happen not on "centers of sin," but on geological fault lines.

So, they happen according to the natural order that God created and not some capricious divine wrath.

What about the Quranic stories about the destruction of some ancient peoples out of divine wrath?

Well, they are extraordinary episodes, not descriptions of the laws of nature.

Once, Moses parted the sea with a staff. That does not explain how seas and oceans usually operate.

Today, ascribing divine wrath to natural disasters is not just bad science but also bad theology:

First, it depicts an unjust God whose imprecise fury hurts so many innocents.

Second, religious groups define the punished "sin" with their own narrow, self-serving narratives.