The mountainous topography of southern China reveals something of the tectonic forces that generate strong earthquakes such as one that occurred on July 9, 2009.
This map shows the region around the earthquake that struck the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. Blue areas indicate water and brown areas indicate land. Lighter colors indicate higher elevation or shallower depth. Circles indicate earthquake locations, with circle size corresponding to earthquake magnitude. Lines indicate faults.
This map shows the region surrounding the earthquakes that occurred near Vanuatu on October 7 and 8, 2009. Ocean water appears in shades of blue, and land areas appear in shades of brown. Circles mark earthquake locations, and a black line marks the tectonic plate boundary.