This is a wonderful visualization of the oceanic affects of the recent earthquake in Japan.  In terms of  informal education, visualizations like this help us grasp the magnitude of numbers, in relation to something we are familiar with, the Earth.  By visualizing proportions, we can look at this and see the impact on the world at large, and only imagine what it would be like to be in the “black” zone.

Image compliments of  NOAA.