Earthquake Resources Archive
NEW ANIMATION! - Japan Earthquake—10th Anniversary—Lessons Learned
It has been 10 years since the magnitude 9.1 earthquake and resulting tsunami hit Japan, on March 11, 2011. This animation describes the earthquake and tsunami as well as the lessons learned from this disaster.
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NEW ANIMATION! - Buildings In Earthquakes
If you are in a building during an earthquake, the way the building is constructed and your position in the building can have an effect on the shaking you feel.
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New Animation! Ghost Forests—Evidence for a Giant Earthquake & Tsunami in the PNW
Ghost forests are part of the evidence that a Great earthquake and devastating tsunami occurred last on January 26th, 1700 in the Pacific Northwest. How do we know this?
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New Animation! Tectonics & Earthquakes of the Lesser Antilles
The islands of the Lesser Antilles are formed by the subduction of the North and South American Plates. Much has been learned in the past decades about the affect of the subducting plate.
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IRIS Data Services Winter Newsletter
Find out what's happening at the IRIS DMC in the Winter Newsletter!Continue Reading
New Animation about Florence Bascom!
Florence Bascom conquered many firsts for women on her way to becoming the first American woman to attain a career as a professional geologist and tenured professor. Learn more about her amazing career in this BRAND NEW ANIMATION!
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New Animations! Geoscience Opportunities
Two new animations explore exciting potential careers for people with geoscience degrees.
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NEW ANIMATION! ShakeAlert: Earthquake Early Warning System for the West Coast
This animation demonstrates how ShakeAlert works by showing how P & S waves are used to locate and measure earthquakes, then send notice to your location about arrival times of potentially damaging waves.
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World Series of Earthquakes
IRIS's World Series addresses regional tectonic forces and resulting recent and historic earthquakes around the world (ex. Japan, Alaska, Peru-Chile, Central America, Mexico, Pacific Northwest).Continue Reading
Brand New Animation! Tectonics and Earthquakes of Puerto Rico
In January 2020, Puerto Rico was rattled for more than 3 weeks by over 400 earthquakes greater than M3. This animation looks at the broader tectonic setting and earthquake history of the area.
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Earthquake Teachable Moments on Google Earth
IRIS has plotted over 100 Recent Earthquake Teachable Moment presentations into Google Earth, available as a .kml file that is updated whenever a new RETM is released by IRIS.
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NEW ANIMATION! Tectonics and Earthquakes of Hispaniola
Continuing with our "World Series of Earthquakes", this animation examines the tectonics and earthquake history of Hispaniola.
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BRAND NEW ANIMATION - Jamaica—Tectonics and Earthquakes
Learn how the tectonic and geologic processes of the Carribean affect Jamaica in this new animation, which is part of our "World Series of Earthquakes"!
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IRIS Statement on Racism in Geoscience
We at IRIS join our colleagues from across the country and around the globe in unequivocally denouncing racism. BLACK LIVES MATTER. We also know that racism is persistent in STEM and that there are systemic inequalities in academia and particularly in the geosciences.Continue Reading
Reduction in seismic noise because of changes in human activity
Researchers who study Earth’s movement are seeing a drop in seismic noise as a result of transport networks and other human activities being shut down.Continue Reading
NEW ANIMATION! Bomb or Earthquake?
How do seismologists tell the difference between an explosion and an earthquake, when both shake the ground? Find out in this new animation!
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New Animation! Cascades Subduction Zone—What can the landscape tell us?
This animation describes the geographic provinces of the Pacific Northwest, including the subducting plate, the subduction boundary, the Coast Range, the lowlands, and the Cascades mountain range.
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New Animation: Haiti, 10 years after the earthquake
This animation discusses the tectonic setting, the history of M7+ earthquakes in Haiti, and the aftermath of the earthquake.
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New series of short animations!
"Myth-Conceptions" is a series of 2 minute animations where we address common misunderstandings, misconceptions and myths in Earth science.
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Final Report on the Ocean Bottom Seismograph Instrument Pool Facility
The final report for the National Science Foundation funded Ocean Bottom Instrument Pool (OBSIP) facility is now available.Continue Reading
NEW ANIMATION! Earthquake!! Shaking up Central America
Whereas transform-fault and shallow-crustal-intraplate earthquakes have dominated the recent history of deadly and destructive earthquakes in Central America, we should never underestimate the potential destructive power of subduction zone earthquakes.
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NEW ANIMATION! - Faults, Plate Boundaries, & Stress
Earth’s thin, brittle outer shell of rock is under a constant state of stress. This animation explores how this stress impacts the formation of small local faults, and broader tectonic plate boundaries.
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New Animation! 3 Types of Faults
This 50s video introduces the 3 main types of faults and the motion that creates them. Perfect for the classroom!
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NEW VIDEO - Bears and Seismometers!
Seismometers in Alaska have it rough - they experience extreme weather, months of darkness and frequent encounters with wildlife. Learn about how seismologists are "bear proofing" remote seismic equipment!
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Where are the IRIS Interns Now?
A survey finds that most IRIS intern alumni are employed in the geosciences, but across a variety of employment sectors.Continue Reading
First Release of Data from Mars InSight Now Available
The first data from the Mars SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Internal Structure) instrument is now available from the IRIS Data Management Center, in parallel with the NASA’s Planetary Data System and the IPGP’s Mars SEIS Data Service.Continue Reading
New Earthquake Safety Video!
If you live in earthquake-prone regions it isn’t a question of IF, but WHEN an earthquake will occur. This animation shows quick steps to take if you are in a building, outside, in bed, in a classroom or lab, in a wheelchair, in a store, in a high rise, or in a car.
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Seismology on Ice!
Follow the adventures of Dr. Bob Woodward, the Director of IRIS Instrumentation Services, as he travels to Antarctica to do "Seismology on Ice"!Continue Reading
NEW ANIMATION! Foreshock, mainshock or aftershock?
Large earthquakes are usually followed by hundreds and even thousands of smaller earthquakes, called aftershocks. In some earthquake sequences, a smaller earthquake called a “foreshock”, precedes the mainshock.
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Reflections on the Accomplishments of EarthScope’s USArray
The USArray has operated for over 15 years as a community science facility designed to address EarthScope’s goal of understanding the structure and evolution of the North American continent.Continue Reading
¡Animación de la tectónica de placas ahora en español!
Placas Tectónicas: ¿Que son las Placas (litosféricas) tectónicas?
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IRIS PASSCAL to Expand Pool of Seismic Instruments
IRIS has begun the procurement of 460 Fairfield nodes for general PASSCAL pool use. The new nodes should be ready for general usage starting in February 2019 (bringing the general node pool to 533 units).Continue Reading
NEW IRIS Ed publication!
Exploring undergraduates’ conceptions of elasticity, within a plate tectonics context, before and after experience with rock’s elastic behavior
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New videos!
How can we demonstrate earthquake magnitude and frequency using a block, sandpaper, and rubber bands? These videos will walk you through it!
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New Animation! “What is the Moho?”
The Mohorovicic Discontinuity, commonly called the “Moho” is recognized as the boundary zone between Earth's crust and the mantle. Learn more about what it is and how it was discovered!
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3 new Spanish language animations!
Grafico Tiempo de Viaje—¿A qué distancia estaba ese terremoto?; Cambiando la magnitud de un Terremoto ¿Por qué los sismólogos hacen eso?; Sismogramas de 3 componentes—¿Cómo capturamos el movimiento de un terremoto?
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NEW ANIMATION! Using Seismographs to Study Hurricanes
How can a seismograph help determine the strength of a hurricane?
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IRIS Station Monitor App now available!
Explore earthquakes near you or around the world using the new IRIS Station Monitor app! Available for both Android and iPhone!Continue Reading
Jump and Watch Earthquake Display
The “Jump and Watch” display, sometimes called “Make Your Own Earthquake”, is very popular in museums, universities and science fairs. We have basic instructions and suggestions to help you make your own “Jump and Watch” earthquake display.
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USArray in the news!
USArray Transportable Array science featured in exciting Accuweather video special feature!Continue Reading
Recent Earthquake Teachable Moments
Are you looking for information about the recent large earthquakes? Check out these Recent Earthquake Teachable Moments - classroom ready presentations by seismologists and educators!Continue Reading
GSN seismic station recorded the sounds of Hurricane Maria
Newly installed infrasound sensors at a GSN station on Puerto Rico recorded the passage of Hurricane Maria.Continue Reading
New Animation! Why do earthquake magnitudes change?
Obtaining an accurate preliminary magnitude can be difficult due not only to the complex processes that occur deep within the Earth but because there are over a dozen techniques of for calculating the magnitude of an earthquake. In this animation we look at two magnitude scales, and use two examples of magnitude changing.Continue Reading
IRIS Internship Program 20th anniversary!
The IRIS Internship Program celebrates 20 years of success!Continue Reading
Take a Peek at a Day in the Life of an IRIS Seismologist
IRIS Seismologist Kasey Aderhold shares the excitement of her work to discover more about earthquakes, including field work in Alaska.Continue Reading
IRIS Joins NASA to Engage the Public about the Mars InSight Mission
IRIS Seismology Education & Outreach Specialist Tammy Bravo (third from right) poses with the NASA Mars InSight Team prior to the launch.Continue Reading
Navigating IRIS Educational Products
The IRIS website has 300+ resources for teaching and learning about earthquakes, geology, geophysics & earth systems. This tutorial can help you find, filter, and share these resources!
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Register for the 2018 IRIS Workshop!
2018 IRIS Workshop: Foundations, Frontiers, and Future Facilities for SeismologyContinue Reading
IRIS Animations, Webinars and Videos
IRIS has more than 200 animations, webinars and videos to provide information and background on Earth science fundamentals from plate tectonics to seismic wave propagation.Continue Reading
New Animation! A Brief History of Plate Tectonics
The theory of plate tectonics represents a fairly young science. This animation gives an overview of the most-recognized proponents (and opponents) of Plate Tectonics Theory from the 1600's into the 1960's.
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New Animation! Plate Boundaries and Tectonic Plates
The cool, rigid, outer layer of the earth, the lithosphere, is broken into massive plates along discrete boundaries. What are these plates, and what do the boundaries represent?
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New Animation! What Drives Plate Tectonics?
Lithospheric plates are part of a planetary scale thermal convection system. The energy source for plate tectonics is Earth’s internal heat while the forces moving the plates are the “ridge push” and “slab pull” gravity forces.
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EarthScope’s Transportable Array Spans Alaska, the Last Frontier
After covering the lower 48 United States from coast to coast with a grid of nearly 1700 sites, the final seismic station of the EarthScope Transportable Array has been installed in Alaska!Continue Reading
IRIS Special Event Pages
IRIS Special Event web pages provide links to data products and images of data and materials available from IRIS programs and preliminary research results from the seismology community.Continue Reading
Free Online Course: “Geology and Geophysics in the Petroleum Industry”
This course instructs students on the basics of geology and geophysics in the petroleum industry. Webinars, PPTS, exercises and course materials are included!
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Tsunamis Generados por Terremotos en la Zona de Subducción
Mega–terremotos de la Zona de subducción, los terremotos más potentes, pueden producir tsunamis a través de una variedad de estructuras que no son detectadas por los modelos simples. En esta animación exploramos diferentes mecanismos productores de tsunamis examinando tres terremotos famosos: Japón 2011, Chile 2010, y Alaska 2014.
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Explicación de los Mecanismos Focales en los Terremotos
Esto describe la dirección de desplazamiento en un terremoto y de orientación de la falla sobre la cual ocurre. Cuando se produce un terremoto, los sismólogos crean gráficos de mecanismos focales, informalmente conocidos como pelotas de playa para mostrar los movimientos de falla que producen un terremoto.
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NEW ANIMATION! Volcanic evolution of the Pacific Northwest: A 55 million year history
This animation integrates the unique and rich eruptive volcanic history of the Pacific Northwest in relation to the complicated tectonic regime revealed by seismology and geodetics in recent decades. We weave together geologic maps, time scales, and cross sections to help simplify and clarify elusive hidden structures and processes below Earth’s surface.
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My Experience as an IRIS Alaska Transportable Array Intern
Follow IRIS intern Amin Abbasi through his adventures installing Transportable Array seismometers in Alaska!Continue Reading
Intensidad de Terremoto: ¿Que controla la sacudida que sientes?
La intensidad sísmica, que es el temblor que experimentas, puede ser leve o severo, corto o largo, brusco o de bandeo. A diferencia de la magnitud de un terremoto, que es una medida de la energía liberada y es la misma para todos los lugares, la intensidad sísmica que percibes depende de dónde te encuentras.
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Magnitudes: Explicación de la Magnitud de Momento
Los científicos han desarrollado sismómetros mucho más sensibles, que con computadoras más rápidas, les han permitido registrar e interpretar un espectro más amplio de señales sísmicas, estas mejoras les permitieron determinar de una mejor manera la energía liberada por grandes terremotos.
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New Animation! “Japan: Overview of Earthquakes & Tectonics”
Japan has more measurable earthquakes than any other country and has over 100 active volcanoes. The tectonics are complicated, but in this animation we look at the basic mechanics of the region as we focus on two famous earthquakes: the 1995 Kobe earthquake and the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. For additional resources please visit IRIS In Class.
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WEBINARS: Geology and Geophysics in the Petroleum Industry
Please join Dr. Fred Schroeder, Retired from Exxon-Mobil and Noble Energy, for lessons from his course on Geology and Geophysics in the Petroleum Industry.Continue Reading
Earth Science FAQ’s
Do you have questions about earthquakes or seismology? Are you interested in learning more about Alaska or Cascadia? Visit our new and improved FAQ page!
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Animations
Modern seismometers include 3 elements to determine the simultaneous movement in 3 directions: up-down, north-south,and east-west. Each direction gives information about the earthquake. This animation shows both the movement of the three basic waves (P, S, and surface) and the effect of the waves on a building.
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Undergraduate Internships
NSF REU summer interns conduct geophysical research at IRIS institutions.
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