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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

March 2011

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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

January 2011

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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

August 2011

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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

January 2010