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I've come across this sentence in
[Jisho.org](https://jisho.org/search/%E5%9C%B0%E9%9C%87%E3%81%8C%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%20%23sentences).
In many English grammar books, it's said that で is used instead に when ある
marks the location of an event, as in こんばんジムの家でパーティーがあります. Why is it に used
here then?

> 東京にいつ激しい地震があるか誰にもわからない

You can find
[examples](https://jisho.org/search/%E3%81%A7%E5%9C%B0%E9%9C%87%E3%81%8C%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%20%23sentences)
with で though.

>
> [午前３時３０分ごろ関東地方で地震がありました。](https://sentencesearch.neocities.org/#%E3%81%A7%E5%9C%B0%E9%9C%87)

From a similar [thread](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/14259/45630),

> > イラクで戦争がある。≒ イラクで戦争が起こる。
>
> The ある means 起{お}こる, 発生{はっせい}する, 行{おこな}われる (meaning #12 in
> [goo辞書](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E6%9C%89%E3%82%8B/#jn-7643))  
>  Compare:
>

>> イラクにXXがある。(= There's XX in Iraq.)  
>  イラクでXXがある。(= XX occurs/takes place/will be held in Iraq.)
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question
grammar particle-に
Why not 東京で?「東京にいつ激しい地震があるか誰にもわからない」
Your sentence translates to "No one knows when a severe earthquake will happen
in Tokyo." 「に」is used here to show that the earthquake is in Tokyo. 「で」would
also technically be correct, but 「に」fits better here - if you were to use 「で」,
「起{お}こる」instead of 「ある」would make more sense.
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answer
いつ東京 **に** 地震があるかわからない/いつ東京 **で** 地震があるわからない are both equally fine to me.
These may be understood as _don't know when an earthquake happens **to/in**
Tokyo_.

This usage of に should be similar to the following, indicating that something
happens to or affects something.

  * 彼の家に不幸があった (idiomatic expression for saying _someone passed away in his family_.)
  * あなたにいいことがありますように : _I wish you happiness (happiness happens to you)_.
  * あの政治家にスキャンダルがあった : _The politician had a scandal_.

* * *

But it is not entirely clear when に can be used. Possibly _affecting_ is a
factor (preceding nouns tend to be animate).

  * 彼の家にパーティーがあった is unnatural.
  * The plain sentence 東京に地震があった is slightly odd.

My impression is that (for ある meaning _to happen_ ) Location+に+Nがある is natural
mostly when it is embedded and N is a natural disaster kind of thing over
which one doesn't have control. (E.g. いつ東京に大雨があるかわからない sounds a bit odd to me.
大雨 may be too common or possibly it is just semantic.)
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answer
The following two sentences are both fine, but focus is slightly different.

> 東京 **で** いつ激しい地震があるか誰にもわからない。

> 東京 **に** いつ激しい地震があるか誰にもわからない。

The first sentence with で focuses on the possible occurrence of a strong
earthquake in a particular place, which in this case is assumed to be Tokyo.

The second sentence with に focuses more on the exact location where this might
happen. A strong earthquake might strike Tokyo, as opposed to other places.
This に also carries a slight sense of directionality and/or suffering. It is
kind of like saying:

> No one knows when a strong earthquake might fall on Tokyo.

Here, Tokyo is the receiving end of this undesirable event.
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answer