From space, we can understand fires in ways that are impossible from the ground. New Earth-observing satellites capture the significant impact of fires on our planet. In this animation of fires around the globe in 2002, each red dot marks a new fire. Dots change color to yellow after a few days and to black when fires burn out. From brush fires in Africa to forest fires in North America, satellites ... Full description.

A series of animations of river erosion through soil layers of differing properties Full description.

An animation of river erosion Full description.

An animation of erosion in the presence of folded rock structures Full description.

A depiction of the movement and rotation (but not deformation) of Africa and South America due to continental drift Full description.

This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Full description.

The earths crust is constantly in motion. Sections of the crust, called plates, push against each other due to forces from the molten interior of the earth. The areas where these plates collide often have increased volcanic and earthquake activity. These images show the locations of the plates and their boundaries in the earths crust. Convergent boundaries are areas where two plates are pushing against ... Full description.

This animation was created to celebrate the anniversary of NASAs Crustal Dynamics Project. Full description.

Zooming down to the Colima Volcano in Mexico using a Landsat thermal image Full description.

This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Full description.