Search
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 tsunami is a set of waves created by a disturbance, likely an earthquake, which reaches the surface of the sea.
Photo

Tsunami

View Image
Volunteers unloading water from helicopter
Photo

Aftermath

View Image
Submerged houses after Katrina
Photo

Floods of Katrina

View Image
An artist's portrayal of a hurricane
Photo

The Perfect Storm

View Image
leveled crops
Photo

Typhoon Damage

View Image
A view of a hurricane's eyewall
Photo

Eye of the Storm

View Image
Illustration that shows a cross-section of a hurricane.
Photo

What Fuels a Hurricane

View Image
A map of the hurricane basins around the globe
Photo

Hurricane Formation Basins

View Image
The grasses and animals living in marshes help to filter water and stabilize shorelines, along with providing habitat for a variety of mammals, fish, shellfish and amphibians and a haven for migratory waterfowl.
Article

How Hurricanes Shape Wetlands in Southern Louisiana

Read the Full Article
Hurricane Katrina
Photo

Hurricane Katrina Swirls Over the Gulf of Mexico

View Image