Earthquake rocks island nation of Haiti

Earthquake rocks island nation of Haiti

-- On Tuesday afternoon, a massive earthquake struck Haiti, devastating the capital city of Port-au-Prince. The earthquake was the most powerful ever to hit the island nation, which is between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Haiti is one of the world's poorest nations and was struck in 2008 by Hurricane Hanna.

Many poorly made buildings in Haiti's largest city collapsed or were seriously damaged during the long and powerful quake. Thousands of people may have died.

President Barack Obama said the United States would "respond with a swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives." Rescue teams from Fairfax County, Florida and California are headed toward Haiti.

To learn about how common earthquakes are and how they are measured, go to earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids.