Earthquake in Japan: A wave of destruction

Aftershocks continued for hours after the massive quake, some as strong as 7.1 magnitude.

The earthquake triggered a 23-foot tsunami that devastated the northeast coast
of the country, leaving at least 1,000 dead and many more missing.

Quake and tsunami videos

Watch earthquake and tsunami
footage from across Japan »

Anatomy of the earthquake

As huge tectonic plates in the earth's surface constantly grind against each other, jagged edges often lock together until pressure builds enough to jar them apart. On Friday, a chunk of the Pacific plate, which normally creeps westward under Japan at about three inches per year, practically leaped forward — up to 59 feet, according to USGS modeling. This quick jolt thrust undersea land upward, causing the earthquake and tsunami.

GRAPHIC: Patterson Clark and Bonnie Berkowitz - The Washington Post. Published March 11, 2011.