Jen - Lowell's advice is good (about checking with your doctor) - there are a number of people that hear various tones prior to quakes - one of our board members Petra is the expert in this regard.

The equilibrium problem could be feeling micro quakes if you are near the epicenters - I have felt this during quakes of a very small nature (less than 2ml) - I've been out in the desert and felt momentarily off-balance and checked my watch and gooten home and looked up the quake list and sure enough, there was a little one - not big enough to feel like a quake but enough to know something is going on.

But both equilibrium and ear pain/tones are all related to the inner ear as well.

Canie