Natural Disasters

This photo, taken June 30, shows how badly crops were burnt and dried out by heat and sun in France's southern wine country.

French Village Hits 114.6 Degrees, Setting New National Record

Gallargues-le-Montueux reached the milestone during an intense heatwave that gripped Europe last week

Engineer Says Notre-Dame Is Vulnerable to High Winds

Models show damage to the roof vaults have cut the structure's wind resistance by over half

Surf's WAY up.

Ocean Wind and Waves Have Grown Stronger Over the Last Three Decades

Decades of satellite data show changes in the ocean that could lead to more destructive storm surges and coastal erosion

A map of earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher between 1900 and 2013. Bigger dots represent stronger quakes, and red dots represent shallow earthquakes, green dots mid-depth, and blue dots represent earthquakes with a depth of 300 kilometers or more. See the full map and legend here.

Could Machine Learning Be the Key to Earthquake Prediction?

Predicting earthquakes might be impossible, but some experts wonder if tools that can analyze enormous amounts of data could crack the seismic code

Nepal's first solo mission to measure its iconic peak will determine whether Mount Everest lost some of its height after an earthquake in 2015.

Nepalese Expedition Seeks to Find Out if an Earthquake Shrunk Mount Everest

Scientists and climbers have trained for three years to prepare to take various types of survey's from the summit of the world's highest peak

Aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

There Hasn't Been a Huge Earthquake on California's Major Fault Lines in 100 Years

Major ground-rupturing quakes have not taken place along the faults since 1918, but that may mean the next century will be on shaky ground

Illustration of the GRAPES-3 Muon telescope in a lightning storm.

How Much Electricity Can Thunderstorms Produce?

Researchers used a cosmic ray detector to clock one storm in at a shocking 1.3 billion volts

Flooding Creates a 10-Mile-Long Lake in Death Valley

The rare ephemeral lake was caused when the compacted, dry desert soil wasn't able to absorb the .87 inches of rain that recently fell on the national park

First responders walk through a neighborhood in Beauregard, Alabama.

Deadliest Tornado Outbreak in Six Years Hits the Southeast

So far, 23 people are confirmed dead in Lee County, Alabama, after Sunday's tornadoes

Plastic debris is providing a new vessel for potentially invasive species to cross large distances.

Sea Creatures Still Arriving in the U.S. on Plastic Debris From the Japanese Tsunami Eight Years Ago

Marine biologists don't know how long different species can survive adrift in the open ocean, and some may become invasive when they reach new shores

A plume of sediment off the coast of Queensland after recent flooding.

Australia Allows One Million Tons of Sludge to Be Dumped on Great Barrier Reef

A loophole in Australian federal law allows dredging spoils from port maintenance to be dumped in the marine park

Insects Are Dying Off at an Alarming Rate

Forty percent of insect populations have seen declines in recent years and will drop even more without immediate action

A collapsed dam left 200 people missing and at least 58 dead, officials say. Rescuers search using helicopters.

Brazilian Mine Disaster Leaves 58 Dead, 200 Missing

Mine waste and sludge have contaminated a huge stretch of the Paraopeba River

Four infected ponies were euthanized at the end of December

Swamp Cancer Kills Seven of Chincoteague’s Beloved Wild Ponies

The deadly infection leaves itchy lesions clustered across victims' bodies

Images Show Landslide Likely Caused Indonesian Tsunami

Radar images appear to show the southwestern flank of the Anak Krakaktau volcano sheared off into the sea

Preserved Horse, Saddled, Harnessed and Ready to Flee, Found in Villa Outside Pompeii

Archaeologists found ornamental pieces of a harness and saddle, suggesting the horse was ready to ride when the volcano blew its top

Cars getting too close to the Fimmvörðuháls volcano in Iceland.

Tourists Are Getting Too Close to Volcanoes

Visitors to Iceland's volcanoes are ignoring the rules, many to get the perfect selfie

Volcanic Lightning Could Help Geologists Monitor Eruptions

New study suggests spikes in lightning activity mark key changes during early stages of eruptions

Hurricane Harvey unexpectedly flooded large parts of Houston despite abating wind speeds.

How Satellites and Big Data Are Predicting the Behavior of Hurricanes and Other Natural Disasters

Leveraging machine learning could help diminish the damages of storms and wildfires

The museum featured replicas of a pioneer school, mining cabin, blacksmith's shop and more

Paradise's Gold Nugget Museum Falls Victim to Camp Fire

The beloved local institution was founded in 1973 to commemorate the town’s prospecting past

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