IRIS does an excellent job collecting and preparing resources we can use in our classrooms on recent, significant earthquakes. Check out their PowerPoint, visualizations and animations on this powerful earthquake (M6.0), when early Sunday morning, the Bay Area was awakened by the biggest earthquake the region has experienced since the Loma Prieta earthquake nearly 25 years ago.  The earthquake was centered 6 miles (10 km) south of the city of Napa, which is located about 50 miles northeast of San Francisco.

From EARTH Magazine  --  Tokyo, a city of more than 13 million people, has been devastated by earthquakes in the past and likely will be again. But when? And what role do ongoing slow-slip earthquakes - the kind that generally can't be felt at the surface - play in relieving or building up stress?

IRIS does an excellent job collecting and preparing resources we can use in our classrooms on recent, significant earthquakes. Check out their PowerPoint, visualizations and animations on this powerful earthquake (M7.9) that occurred in a remote area of the volcanic Aleutian Islands. The epicenter was located 19 km (11 miles) ESE of Little Sitkin Island, Alaska, while the depth was 108 km below Earth’s surface.

In addition, ground movements linked to water extraction may change stresses on the San Andreas Fault.

From USGS  --  The rate of earthquakes in Oklahoma has increased by about 50 percent since October 2013, significantly increasing the chance for a damaging quake in central Oklahoma. 

From EARTH Magazine  --  On a muggy day in mid-July 2009, a lone seven-story condominium complex northwest of Kobe, Japan, was violently shaken by an earthquake. Onlookers watched the 23-unit, wood-frame tower sway and bounce while, inside the building, furniture toppled and plates clattered to the floor.

April has been a busy month for notable earthquakes.  Here, we compile links to the IRIS Teachable Moment resources (MS PowerPoint files) and USGS links.  For general earthquake information, be sure to check out PAESTA Recommends Earthquake Resources.

IRIS has shared some of new animations for the 50th anniversary of the magnitude 9.2 Great Alaska Earthquake of March 27, 1964. They offer a set of three animations made in collaboration with the U.S.Geological Survey and the Alaska Earthquake Center.

On April 1, a M8.2 earthquake shook Chile and generated P waves, S waves, and tsunami that crossed the globe.  Here, we list the best sources for you to learn more about this event.

From IRIS  --  Alaskan tectonics are dominated by Pacific-North American plate interaction. The megathrust boundary between the plates results in both the 4,000-km-long Aleutian Trench and in the arc of active volcanoes that lie subparallel to the trench. This animation discusses the range of tectonic activity from megathrust earthquakes to accretion of geologic terranes. Along the trench, the rate of convergence ranges from 5 cm/year on the east to 7.8 cm/year on the west. The angle of subduction also changes from shallow in the east to steep in the west.