Natural Disasters

Latest about natural disasters

san Andreas fault Carrizo plain

California's Eerie 'Earthquake Pause' Is Unprecedented

By Stephanie Pappas published

California hasn't seen a ground-rupturing earthquake in 100 years. That's unprecedented.

Earthquakes
Homes are inundated by floodwater from the Pecatonica River on March 18, 2019, in Freeport, Illinois.

What's Behind the Massive Midwestern Floods: 2 Giant Waves of Water

By Rafi Letzter published

Here's why vast swaths of Nebraska, Missouri, and other Midwestern states are drowning.

Flooding
Illustration of the layers of the Earth, like a slice of cake.

Mountain Range More Rugged Than the Rockies Found Buried Deep Within Earth

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

Ain't no mountain rough enough like those 660 kilometers deep in the ground.

Geology
Asteroid hitting Earth

Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Triggered Mile-High Tsunami That Spread Through Earth's Oceans

By Laura Geggel published

Tsunami
A tornado cuts its way through a field in Minneola, Kansas, on May 24, 2016, in this image captured by expert storm chaser and photographer Jason Weingart.

Tornadoes Don't Form Like Meteorologists Thought They Did

By Stephanie Pappas published

Tornado rotation seems to start right at ground level.

Weather
A U.S. Geological Survey map shows the location of the earthquake and aftershocks. The biggest dot is the 7.0 quake.

A 7.0-Magnitude Earthquake Just Shook Alaska

By Rafi Letzter published

The earthquake struck 8 miles (13 kilometers) north of Anchorage, prompting a tsunami warning.

Earthquakes
new zealand

New Zealand's Islands Are Creeping Closer Together

By Stephanie Pappas published

New Zealand is still moving after an earthquake two years ago.

Geology
Mount Etna

Mount Etna's Slide into the Sea Could Trigger a Catastrophic Collapse

By Stephanie Pappas published

New research raises questions about Mount Etna's dangers.

Rivers & Oceans
Hurricane Michael is seen from space just before landfall.

Hurricane Michael Is Officially More Powerful than Hurricane Katrina

By Rafi Letzter published

The storm struck the Gulf coast of Florida this afternoon as the third most intense hurricane ever to strike the continental U.S., and the most intense since 1969.

Hurricanes
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Peer into Hurricane Michael's Mesmerizing Eye in This Eerie Time-Lapse Video

By Mindy Weisberger published

A close-up view captures the whirling clouds circling Hurricane Michael's eye

Hurricanes
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