Shakespeare
Diseased nature oftentimes breaks forth
In strange eruptions, and the teeming earth
Is with a kind of colic pincehed and vexed
By the imprisoning of an unruly wind
Within her womb, which for enlargement striving
Shakes the old beldame earth and topples down
Steeples and moss grown towers.

Historical European Thinking about earthqukes, from Classical Antiquity to modern times - See especially section on electricity.
[1] Read Nov. 16, 1749, published with other Tracts on Electricity by Mr. Peter COLLINSON F.R.S., London 1750.
[2] STUKELEY, W. On the causes of Earthquakes. Phil. transact. Vol XLVI.n. 491. p. 641-646.

"Admitting this, there is nothing wanting, to produce the wonderful Effect of an Earthquake, but the Touch of any non-electric Body; on that must nessarily be had ab extra, from the Region of the Air, or Atmosphere. We had lately a very pretty Discourse read here, from Mr. FRANKLYN of Philadelphia[1] concerning Thundergusts, Lights, and like Meteors. He well solves them by the Touch of Clouds, rais'd from the Sea (which are Non-electrics), and of Clouds rais'd from Exhalations of the Land (which are electrify'd): That little Snap, which we hear, in our electrical Experiments, when produc'd by a thousand Miles Compass of Clouds, and that re-echoed from Cloud to Cloud, the Extent of the Firmament, makes that Thunder, which affrightens us. From the same Principle I infer, if a nonelectric Cloud discharges its Contents, upon any Part of the Earth, when in a high- electrify'd State, an Earthquake must necessarily ensue. As a Shock of the electric Tube in the human Body, so the Shock of many Miles Compass of solid Earth, must needs be an Earthquake; Contact, be the horrible uncouth Noise thereof."[2]

The Bible
Isa. 29.6
"thou shalt be visted of the Lord of hosts of thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire."

Revelation 16:18
"Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake."

Revelation 11:13, 19, KJV
"And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven...And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."

John Wesley, Sermon 129, The Cause and Cure of Earthquakes, first published in the year 1750
...The earthquake was attended with a hollow rumbling sound, like that of thunder. ...
... accompanied by frightful noises, like a ruffling wind, or a hollow rumbling thunder. ...
God speaks to your hearts, as in subterranean thunder...

From: http://www.yale.edu/dramat/sound/soundbas.html
The human ear responds to frequencies in the range from about 20Hz to about 20,000Hz. This is called the audible range. These limits vary somewhat from one individual to another. One general trend is that as people age, they are less able to hear the high frequencies, so that the high-frequency limit may be 10,000Hz or less.

Sound waves whose frequencies are outside the audible range may reach the ear, but we are not generally aware of them. Frequencies above 20,000Hz are called ultrasonic. Many animals can hear ultrasonic frequencies; dogs, for example, can hear sounds as high as 50,000Hz and bats can detect frequencies as high as 100,000Hz.

Sound waves whose frequencies fall below the audible range are called infrasonic, or occasionally subsonic. Sources of infrasonic waves are earthquakes, thunder, volcanoes, and waves produced by vibrating heavy machinery.

Earthquake Prediction (1869)

Letters from the Pacific slope; or First impressions - by Harvey Rice

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In San Francisco, as well as elsewhere, there are wise men--prophets who utter their annual predictions. They say that earthquakes may be expected these days. The serve earthquake , which occurred here on the 21st of October, 1868, was so peculiar in its character, as to attract the attention of scientific men, who, in attempting to investigate the true cause, have advanced some ingenious theories.

The prevailing modern idea seems to be that earthquakes result from electrical action in the earth's crust, or in the atmosphere, simultaneous, perhaps, in both. We know that electricity is an invisible force, active or quiescent, and abounds everywhere, in a positive or negative state. When the equilibrium has been disturbed, whatever the cause, it is certain that it will be restored by a like cause. The action of the electrical forces may or may not be instantaneous. The earth is said to be a great electrical reservoir, and so, in all probability, is the atmosphere; the one positive, the other negative, generally, or at points; yet always accumulating force, quietly, or violently, in the vain endeavor to restore a perfect equilibrium. Hence, we have thunder and lightning overhead and earthquakes under foot. The forces are the same. The one is a skyquake, the other an earthquake. The one would seem to be a substitute for the other, as in California, where they never have thunder and lightning, but are amply compensated by frequent earthquakes. For eight or nine months in the year they are favored with a bright sun and a cloudless sky. When the rainy season commences, it brings with it violent electrical changes, resulting not in thunder and lightning, but in earthquakes. In this way, it may be presumed, the equilibrium is restored.

Fearful as earthquakes may seem, I doubt not, many more persons are killed by lightning than by earthquakes. The subtle influences of electricity are, indeed, mysterious, and doubtless constitute the life-principle which pervades all life, whether it be animal or vegetable.

India Earthquake Myths - From Michael Ford at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

Ever since man has walked the earth, he has lived with the destructive forces of earthquakes. It has been just recently, on the geologic time scale, that man has discovered the causes and is able to measure the magnitude of these seismic activities. According to some Sanskrit writings by Brihat Samhita (B.S.) of Varaha Mihira (5-6th century AD) and Adbhuta Sahara (A.S.) of Ballala Sena (10-11th century AD) man has not always understood the causes of earthquakes. According to A.S., the opinion of Kashypapa was that earthquakes were due to movement of sea creatures, whereas Garga suggested that is was due to the sigh of elephants carrying the earth. According to Vasishta, tremors were due to interaction of two strong winds that eventually impacted the oceans and shook the earth. Another opinion was that earthquakes occurred due to chance or unseen forces. Both B.S. and A.S. give an explanation that once upon a time mountains could fly and move. Thus frequently falling on the earth causing earthquakes. At the request of the earth, the Creator ordered Indra (thunder) to cut the wings off the mountains so that the earth became stable. But, the four elements Wind, Fire, and Water along with Indra cause the earth to shake. B.S. quotes another writer, Ushanas, who suggested that the four elements shake the earth in the four quarters east, west, north, and south. B.S. also believes that eclipses and planetary aberrations could also cause earthquakes. Over the centuries this idea might have been given up since A.S. does not list this reason
Reference: http://tejas.serc.iisc.ernet.in/~currsci/sept25/articles32.htm

... popular Japanese saying popped up in my mind: It goes this way. 'Fear three things in your life: earthquakes, thunder and your father!'

Quakes recorded from a distance have a much deeper sound resembling thunder. Closer quakes, on the other hand, sound more like a gunshot.

From US earthquakes:
.United States Earthquakes, 1961 By James F. Lander and William K. Cloud,... ...earth noises from east-west, like thunder or approaching train, heard by...
.United States Earthquakes, 1946 By Ralph R. Bodle and Leonard M. Murphy,... .subterranean sounds like distant thunder or cannon fire heard at time of...

P and S waves compared to lightning and thunder.