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Huge Quake triggers Tsunami in Japan (1/13)

Houses swept away by a tsunami smoulder near Sendai Airport. On March 11, 2011 Japan was struck by an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9 on the ... more

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New Zealand: Deadliest Quake for 80 years (2/13)

On February 21, 2011 a strong earthquake killed at least 160 people in New Zealand's secondbiggest city of Christchurch, with more casualties ... more

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Haiti Earthquake (3/13)

An injured child receives medical treatment after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred about 25 kilometers (16 miles) west of Haitis capital ... more


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What is an Earthquake? (4/13)

Officials inspect a collapsed road caused by an earthquake in Nagaoka, Japan, in July 2007. An earthquake is a sudden shaking of the ground, caused ... more

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Size and Frequency of Earthquakes (5/13)

More than 1.5 million earthquakes occur every year, but only about 150 have a magnitude of 6 or higher. About 90 percent of all earthquakes occur in ... more

Measuring Earthquakes (6/13)

A technician at the French National Seismic Survey Institute points at a graph registered during an earthquake that hit eastern France on February 24, 2004.

When tectonic plates break, vibrations called seismic waves are generated, traveling outward from the source of the earthquake. These waves are recorded with a seismometer, or seismograph. The magnitude of the earthquake is then estimated on the moment magnitude scale which is the successor to the Richter scale. (Source: Reuters)

Impacts (7/13)
A crane pulls crushed cars out of debris in Kobe, Japan, after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in January 1995 turned over an expressway. The earthquake killed more than 6,000 people.

However, earthquakes almost never kill people directly. Instead, falling objects, fire outbreaks, and collapsing buildings or bridges are mainly responsible for casualties. Earthquakes can also trigger landslides, floods, or huge waves (tsunamis) that can lead to more destruction, damage, and loss of life. (Source: Reuters)

The Most Powerful Earthquake in History (8/13)

A street in Valdivia, Chile, after the Great Chilean Earthquake struck on May 22, 1960. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded with instruments, measuring 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale.

The earthquake caused a tsunami that severely devastated southern Chile and spread across the Pacific Ocean, reaching Hawaii, the Philippines, Australia, and Japan. The death toll, although estimated between 2,000 and 6,000 people, was never precisely known. (Source: Pierre St. Amand)

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Deadliest Earthquakes (9/13)

A satellite image of Kalutara, Sri Lanka, on December 26, 2004 (top) and on January 2004 (bottom). On December 26, 2004, tsunamis swept across the Indian ocean, triggered by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra. They flooded coastal regions with waves up to 30 meters (100 feet) high, killing nearly 230,000 people in 14 countries, hitting Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand the hardest. It was the second most powerful earthquake ever recorded and one of the deadliest earthquakes in history.

The deadliest earthquake ever recorded was the earthquake on January 23, 1556, in Shaanxi, China with a death toll of about 830,000 people. (Source: DigitalGlobe)

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What to do during an Earthquake (11/13)

A six-year-old girl sits under her classroom desk during an earthquake drill at a Tokyo elementary school. During an earthquake, movements should be minimized to a few steps to a nearby safe place. Some earthquakes are actually foreshocks be aware that a larger earthquake might follow.

If indoors, drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy desk or table and hold on until the shaking stops. If there is no table, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in a corner of the building. Keep away from windows and anything that could fall. Stay indoors until the shaking has stopped and it is safe to go outside. (Source: Reuters) prev next

Working Day and Night (10/15)

Rescue workers look for survivors under a collapsed house in downtown L'Aquila. Rescue operations continued throughout the night, while chances of finding survivors decreased by the minute. (Source: Reuters)prev next

Waiting for Food (14/15)

People line up for a meal in a tent camp in Paganica. The Italian Red Cross is responding with health, first aid, logistics, and humanitarian relief. It also set up mobile kitchens able to provide 10,000 meals a day. (Source: Reuters)

Looking for Survivers (2/15)

A woman carries her child in the Italian village of Onna. Rescuers searched through the night on Tuesday for survivors of Italy's worst quake in three decades. (Source: Reuters)

50,000 Homeless (3/15)

Aerial view of collapsed buildings around L'Aquila. The earthquake killed more than 200 people, making up to 50,000 homeless and flattening entire medieval towns while residents