This study intends to investigate the fifth grade students' conceptions of earthquakes. Twenty two grade 5 students (11-12 years old) from five different elementary schools in Istanbul voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with each participant. Six interview questions were designed by researchers based on the literature (Ross & Shuell, 1993; Lacin-Simsek, 2007) and the curriculum. Findings of the study indicated that most of the students did not have any scientific conceptions, describing earthquakes mostly from social, psychological and religious aspects, and believed that earthquakes happen as a result of human action. Most students were not able to scientifically explain why earthquakes occur and what precautions they should take during the event.