Aftershocks continue to rock cities across Japan after an 8.9-magnitude struck off the country's east coast. To see a live view of seismic activity in the region we created a Google Earth map, overlaid with…

The 8.9-magnitude earthquake that struck coastal Japan on Friday, devastating large swaths of the coast and spawning a powerful tsunami, was caused by the Pacific tectonic plate thrusting underneath the country, and forcing the seabed and ocean water upward.