Search
Screenshot from video of an aerial view of the ocean drilling vessel Chikyu.
Video

The Ocean Drilling Vessel Chikyu

Watch the Video
It is estimated that the March 11, 2011 earthquake in Japan was 1,000 times more powerful than the quake that struck Haiti in 2010. Watch as Smithsonian geologist Dr. Liz Cottrell explains this and more about the major earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Video

Understanding the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Watch the Video
A real-time monitoring system helps to forecast and track tsunamis before they reach shore, giving people a chance to move to higher ground.
Video

Tracking Tsunamis

Watch the Video
a colored shakemap from the M5.8 Virginia Earthquake depicts the shake range and epicenter of the earthquake
Article

A Guide to Earthquake Lesson Plans

Read the Full Article
On August 23, 2011 a 5.8 earthquake emanated from the little-known Central Virginia Seismic Zone. The epicenter was near Mineral, VA, but the tremor shook homes, schools, and office buildings in Washington, DC and beyond. In this brief video, Smithsonian e
Video

Demonstrating an Earthquake's Seismic Waves

Watch the Video
Geophysicist Jian Lin of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution studied the earthquake site that triggered 2004’s Indian Ocean tsunami. New tools to map seafloor earthquakes—like this robotic Autonomous Benthic Explorer—enhance our understanding of catastrophic events, such as the tsunami.
Photo

Seafloor Earthquakes Study

View Image