Natural Disaster News

NASA

A massive volcanic eruption that occurred 73,000 years ago killed off much of India's forests and may have pushed humans to the brink of extinction, a new study says. The Toba eruption, which took place on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, sent so much ash into the air that sunlight was blocked for six years.

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US Quakes Called Aftershocks from 1800s

posted: 30 DAYS 17 HOURS AGOcomments: 0

filed under: Natural Disasters News, Science News

USGS/LiveScience.com

The small earthquakes that periodically rattle the central U.S. may be aftershocks from a giant seismic event that hit the region two centuries ago, says a new study. The New Madrid Earthquakes, which convulsed the area for nearly three months starting in December 1811, were powerful enough to make the Mississippi River run backward.

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Did Tsunami Inspire Atlantis Legend?

posted: 56 DAYS 15 HOURS AGOcomments: 0

filed under: Natural Disasters News, Science News

New research suggests that an island that could be the source of the Atlantis myth apparently experienced a giant tsunami following the volcanic explosion that tore it to pieces. Scientists say the tsunami may have been powerful enough to travel from Santorini in the Aegean Sea to the farthest eastern shores of the Mediterranean.

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Mudslides Death Toll Rises in Philippines

posted: 56 DAYS 4 HOURS AGOcomments: 0

filed under: Natural Disasters News, World News

The death toll in the devastating Philippines mudslides rises to 225, while six survivors are found in the wreckage. Rescuers struggle to get through to remote regions hardest hit by the disaster, where some villages have been obliterated.

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'State of Calamity'

Residents wade through a flooded street in Dagupan City, in the northern Philippines, Saturday. Click through the gallery for more flooding and mudslide images.

AFP/Getty Images

AFP

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Quake Mudslides Obliterate 4 Villages

posted: 62 DAYS 5 HOURS AGOcomments: 0

filed under: Natural Disasters News, World News

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Death and Destruction

As Indonesian officials surveyed the damage earthquakes wrought to the island nation this week, they found shocking scenes of destruction. At least 644 people are believed to have perished as mudslides wiped out four villages northwest of the hard-hit city of Padang, in addition to the thousands still missing throughout the country. An aerial image shows some of the rural devastation.

Dita Alangkara, AP

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Quake Survivors Found, 3,000 Missing

posted: 63 DAYS 17 HOURS AGOcomments: 0

filed under: Natural Disasters News, World News

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Death and Destruction

Rescuers pulled a teenage college student and a teacher from the rubble of their school in Indonesia Friday, 40 hours after an earthquake struck. Ratna Kurniasari Virgo, 19, above, was conscious, and didn't suffer any life-threatening injuries. "Her dead friends were beneath and above her," said a doctor who treated her.

Wong Maye-E, AP