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Natural Disasters

Lava cascades down the slopes of the erupting Mayon volcano in January 2018. Seen from Busay Village in Albay province, 210 miles southeast of Manila, Philippines.

Geology Makes the Mayon Volcano Visually Spectacular—And Dangerously Explosive

What’s going on inside one of the Philippines’ most active volcanoes?

Shan Dou (from left), Jonathan Ajo-Franklin, and Nate Lindsey were on a Berkeley Lab team that, in collaboration with researchers from Stanford, used fiber optic cables for detecting earthquakes and other subsurface activity.

Could Fiber Optics Detect Earthquakes?

By monitoring every grumble, shiver and burp our planet makes, researchers hope to be more prepared to take action when things go awry

A macro photo of coralites off Malapascua Island in the Philippines.

The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2017

From wind turbines to massive sunfish to octopus cities, the seas proved full of surprises this year

An aerial view of the Getty's Los Angeles campus taken before the so-called Skirball Fire broke out Wednesday

Why the Getty Center Is the “Safest Place” For Its Priceless Collection in the Case of Disaster

As wildfires blaze through Southern California, the Getty’s Ron Hartwig explains how the structure was built with fire in mind

Satellite Images Show Frightening Intensity of California Wildfires

Thick plumes of smoke can be seen blowing across the Pacific

Hurricane Maria, September 2017

Turning Hurricane Data Into Music

Can listening to storms help us understand them better? A meteorologist and a music technologist think so

Mount Agung

Trending Today

The Geology of Bali’s Simmering Agung Volcano

The high viscosity magma of stratovolcanoes like Agung makes them extremely explosive—and potentially deadly

These Siblings Were Trapped in a Raging Flood in Italy

On October 9, 1962, Bartolomeo and Margareta Filippin became trapped on the second floor of their house in Longarone, Italy

A solar and battery-powered microgrid got San Juan’s Children’s Hospital quickly back online after Hurricane Maria.

Future of Energy

Why Puerto Rico’s Power Can’t Come From Solar ‘Microgrids’ Alone

The island could benefit from on-site solar and battery backup, but the strategy isn’t a cure-all for its energy woes

The minimLET toilet kit

A Sleek Portable Toilet and Other Design Solutions for Disaster Victims

The toilet kit, from a Japanese design studio, is part of wave of interest in design fixes for the problems created by disasters

Chilling Footage of the 1989 Cypress Freeway Collapse

The Oakland fire department rushed to the scene of the Cypress Freeway, after the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake hits. They were greeted by a catastrophe

Why the 1989 San Francisco Quake Was So Disastrous

The 1989 San Francisco earthquake delivered a myriad of deadly disasters, all unfolding at the same time

Crews clean up debris in a neighborhood flooded by Hurricane Harvey in Beaumont, Texas, Sept. 26, 2017

The Next Pandemic

How Do Scientists Measure the Public Health Impacts of Natural Disasters?

In the wake of this year’s hurricanes, epidemiologists are assessing the effects of mold, toxic leaks and other threats

Footage of the 1980 Mount St. Helens Eruption

On May 18, 1980, the Mount St. Helens became the largest and most destructive volcanic eruption in U.S. history

The Aitape skull

New Research

This Ancient Skull May Have Belonged to The World’s Oldest Tsunami Victim

A new study says Papua New Guinea’s Aitape skull is from someone who died in a massive ocean wave 6,000 years ago

Flooded area in Carolina, Puerto Rico, after the path of Hurricane Maria in the island.

Bacterial Infections Spread in Storm-Ravaged Puerto Rico and Texas

In the wake of Hurricanes Maria and Harvey, bacterial infections threaten communities struggling to rebuild

Trending Today

Five Things to Know About the Yellowstone Supervolcano

There’s no need to worry: It’s unlikely it will blow anytime soon

Could satellites ever prevent natural disasters?

The “Science” Behind “Geostorm”, the Newest Weather-Fueled Doomsday Flick

Researchers have long sought control over the weather, but have yet to find a realistic way to master it

A southern New Hampshire pine forest was entirely blown down in the hurricane of 1938.

The 1938 Hurricane That Revived New England’s Fall Colors

An epic natural disaster restored the forest of an earlier America

Young people of the U.S. Virgin Islands march along in a carnival parade, amid the destruction of Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

How Cultural Resilience Made a Difference After Hurricane Hugo And Could Help Again

When the 1989 hurricane devastated the U.S. Virgin Islands, Smithsonian folklorists were working on an upcoming Folklife Festival

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