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After the Japanese tsunami in 2011 over 280 Japanese species floated to the West Coast of the United States on marine debris. 
Video

Invasive Species Hitch a Ride on Tsunami Debris

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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

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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

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Two nurse sharks hover over a baited cage
Lesson Plan

Wave Size and Depth

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Mangroves on the edge of the water.
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Mangroves at the Sea’s Edge

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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

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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.
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Seafloor Earthquakes Study

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