Tsunami

Nearly a Decade After Fukushima, Photos Capture Residents’ Bittersweet Return

A new photo series titled “Restricted Residence” features 42 thermal images of locals and their changed landscape

January 17, 2020

What Happened the Day a Giant, Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Hit the Earth

Using rock cores from Chicxulub crater, geologists piece together a new timeline of the destruction that followed impact

September 9, 2019

Furious Winds Lead to ‘Ice Tsunamis’ Along Lake Erie

Walls of ice—some as high as 30 feet—surged over the shoreline, colliding with residential properties

February 26, 2019

Trending Today

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

December 28, 2018

Cool Finds

This Remote Control Vest Trains Rescue Dogs Using Flashlights

By aiming little spots of light, handlers can direct their fearless doggos through disaster areas

November 6, 2018

Trending Today

Why Did Alaska’s Big Quake Lead to a Tiny Tsunami?

Geophysics, plate tectonics and the vast ocean all determine how severe a tsunami may be

January 23, 2018

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

October 26, 2017

New Research

The 2011 Tsunami Flushed Hundreds of Japanese Species Across the Ocean

After the Fukushima disaster, a surprising number of coastal creatures survived a multi-year journey by clinging to floating debris

September 29, 2017

Ruins of a Roman City Found Off the Coast of Tunisia

The city destroyed by a 4th-century tsunami is rediscovered

September 6, 2017

How a Ship-Sinking Clam Conquered the Ocean

The wood-boring shipworm has bedeviled humans for centuries. What’s its secret?

December 5, 2016

The Motorcycle That Rode the Tsunami

A Harley, washed out to sea, traveled more than 4,000 miles to its current home

September 12, 2016

Cool Finds

These Century-Old Stone “Tsunami Stones” Dot Japan’s Coastline

“Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build any homes below this point.”

August 31, 2015

Trending Today

Japan Is Building a 40-foot Wall to Stop Tsunamis

But the expensive, extensive wall might not be high enough

March 27, 2015

Small Islands May Make Tsunami Danger Worse

While offshore islands usually protect coasts, simulations suggest they may amplify monster waves reaching the mainland

November 4, 2014

New Research

Why Hawaii Cares About a Massive Tsunami That Hit Centuries Ago

About 500 years ago, a 30-foot tsunami caused by a 9.0-magnitude quake in the Aleutian Islands slammed into Hawaii

October 22, 2014

Lingering Stress Hints at the Next Giant Earthquake in Chile

A section of the South American tectonic plate holds the potential for a massive quake in the near future

August 13, 2014

Ten Ancient Stories and the Geological Events That May Have Inspired Them

If you dig deep enough, say scientists, you can find some truth to legends and creation stories

April 4, 2014

Cool Finds

Watch How Tuesday’s Tsunami Waves Moved From Chile All the Way to Australia

A computer model shows how the tsunami crossed the Pacific

April 3, 2014

Trending Today

Japanese Towns Are Choosing Between Walls to Protect Against Tsunamis And Access to the Sea

Areas along the Japanese coast are building seawalls to prepare for the next big one

March 11, 2014

This House is Built to Withstand the Force of a Tsunami

A clever idea to let water flow through a home may allow residents in Puget Sound to escape the fate that locals centuries ago could not

January 22, 2014