Massive earthquakes have struck Japan, New Zealand, Sumatra, Chile and Haiti in recent years. Does this suggest the earth’s crust is getting more volatile or do the numbers largely suggest consistency? Is there or is there not a significant threat posed by tsunamis if they have to travel the entire length of the Pacific Ocean? Can this only happen along major fault lines? We discuss all this and much more with Professor Michael Wysession, seismologist at Washington University in St. Louis.