The Center for Earthquake Research and Information was established in 1977 by the Tennessee Legislature to provide: (1) prompt reports and background information on regional earthquakes; (2) scientific research on the causes and effects of earthquakes and on the possibility of earthquake prediction; (3) studies related to the desirability of earthquake resistant construction; and (4) advice to business, government, and the public on the methods, means, and feasibility of mitigating earthquake hazards.

The Center operates as a research organization of The University of Memphis and was designated as a Tennessee Center of Excellence in 1985. It supports graduate research in geophysics, active tectonics, and earthquake engineering. It cooperates with the Department of Earth Sciences in offering a Bachelor's and Master's degree concentration in geophysics, and a Ph.D. degree in earth sciences.