Natural Disasters

Find out everything there is to know about natural disasters and stay updated on the latest weather news with the comprehensive articles, interactive features and natural disaster pictures at LiveScience. Learn more about devastation caused by weather as scientists continue to make amazing discoveries about natural disasters.

Latest about natural disasters

Facts about Earth

50 interesting facts about Earth

By Stephanie Pappas, Robert Roy Britt, Ailsa Harvey last updated

Reference We've collected some of the most interesting and amazing facts about Earth

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A view from space of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.

14 of the deadliest natural disasters in history

By Stephanie Pappas, Tiffany Means last updated

Reference The world's deadliest natural disasters span more than 2,500 years of human history and include earthquakes, tsunamis and cyclones.

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A man stands in the middle of collapsed buildings after the earthquake in Moulay Brahim, Morocco.

Here's why Morocco's quake was so deadly — and what we can do for the next one

By José A. Peláez Montilla published

More than 2,500 people died when a powerful magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Morocco on Sept. 8.

Earthquakes
Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, can cause widespread destruction.

13 of the biggest natural disasters in history

By Stephanie Pappas, Scott Dutfield last updated

Reference Earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanoes have taken countless lives and caused immeasurable damage throughout history.

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Meteor crater in Arizona is one of the most well-preserved impact craters on Earth, with an estimated age of about 50,000 years. A new study of larger, less pristine craters raises new questions about how many large impacts Earth experiences in a given timeframe.

Extinction-level asteroid impacts could be far more common than we thought, controversial study suggests

By Stephanie Pappas published

New research claims that giant space rocks hit Earth far more often than has been estimated. But some scientists are skeptical.

Asteroids
The Great East Japan Earthquake in Iwate. Here we see the remains of a house amongst a lot of rubble after an earthquake.

The 20 largest recorded earthquakes in history

By Tia Ghose published

A handful of regions around the world regularly unleash terrifyingly large earthquakes. Here are the 20 largest earthquakes on record.

Earthquakes
Still from the movie Deep Impact, showing a huge wave crashing into a city with tall buildings

Best disaster movies: volcanoes, asteroids, and human-made calamities

By Fran Ruiz published

Earth can still be saved, but we've seen plenty of cautionary tales and worst-case scenarios on the big screen. Here are our picks for the best disaster movies.

Tech
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Forget the Mayan Apocalypse: 6 Real Threats Facing the US

By Megan Gannon last updated

Here are six real and sometimes unpredictable threats that Americans should be prepared for.

Human Behavior
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Frequent Fires? New Tool Reveals Climate Impact by ZIP Code (Op-Ed)

By Frances Beinecke last updated

From fires to floods, tool reveals climate hazards by ZIP Code.

Climate Change
Astronaut Bob Hines captured this image of Hurricane Ian's massive eye on Sept. 28 while aboard the International Space Station.

Peer into Hurricane Ian’s 'eye' in this photo that an astronaut snapped from space

By Elizabeth Howell published

An International Space Station astronaut photographed Hurricane Ian as the powerful storm battered Florida. NASA, SpaceX and others have postponed launches from the Space Coast.

Hurricanes
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