News tagged with catastrophes
A Lawyer's View of the Risk of Black Hole Catastrophe at the LHC
(PhysOrg.com) -- Just bringing up the topic of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) creating a black hole that destroys the Earth might seem unscientific and out of place on a science news website. After all, the ...
Massive volcanoes, meteorite impacts delivered one-two death punch to dinosaurs: study
(PhysOrg.com) -- A cosmic one-two punch of colossal volcanic eruptions and meteorite strikes likely caused the mass-extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous period that is famous for killing the dinosaurs ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 17, 2011 |
5 / 5 (10) |
11
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Possible trigger for volcanic 'super-eruptions' found
The "super-eruption" of a major volcanic system occurs about every 100,000 years and is considered one of the most catastrophic natural events on Earth, yet scientists have long been unsure about what triggers ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 12, 2011 |
4.9 / 5 (22) |
20
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Geologist investigates canyon carved in just three days in Texas flood
In the summer of 2002, a week of heavy rains in Central Texas caused Canyon Lake -- the reservoir of the Canyon Dam -- to flood over its spillway and down the Guadalupe River Valley in a planned diversion ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 20, 2010 |
4.9 / 5 (28) |
111
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New evidence argues against prehistoric extraterrestrial impact event
(Phys.org) -- Evidence used to support a possible extraterrestrial impact event is likely the result of natural processes, according to a new collaborative study led by U.S. Geological Survey scientists.
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 23, 2012 |
4.5 / 5 (17) |
3
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Can big earthquakes disrupt world weather?
(PhysOrg.com) -- The eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland in 1783-84 set off a cascade of catastrophe, spewing sulfuric clouds into Europe and eventually around the world. Poisonous mists and a resulting ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 29, 2011 |
3 / 5 (2) |
4
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Early warning signal for ecosystem catastrophe detected
Researchers eavesdropping on complex signals emanating from a remote Wisconsin lake have detected what they say is an unmistakable warning -- a death knell -- of the impending collapse of the lake's aquatic ...
Apr 28, 2011 |
3.7 / 5 (3) |
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Russia in secret plan to save Earth from asteroid: official
Russian scientists will soon meet in secret to work on a plan for saving Earth from a possible catastrophic collision with a giant asteroid in 26 years, the head of Russia's space agency said Wednesday.
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 30, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (33) |
85
Catastrophic Darkness: How Life Survives an Asteroid Impact
A dinosaur-killing asteroid may have wiped out much of life on Earth 65 million years ago, but now scientists have discovered how smaller organisms might have survived in the darkness following such a catastrophic ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Sep 10, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
0
Space junk raises risks for Hubble repair mission
(AP) -- Space shuttle Atlantis is now in a rough orbital neighborhood - a place littered with thousands of pieces of space junk zipping around the Earth at nearly 20,000 mph. There are more pieces of shattered ...
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
May 12, 2009 |
2.9 / 5 (8) |
9
Study Finds 'Pre-Existing Condition' Fueled Killer Cyclone
(PhysOrg.com) -- A "pre-existing condition" in the North Indian Ocean stoked the sudden intensification of last year's Tropical Cyclone Nargis just before its devastating landfall in Burma, according to a ...
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Feb 26, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Brussels unhappy with Europe nuclear stress tests
The EU's energy chief Thursday deemed an almost year-long study on nuclear plant safety in Europe as short on detail and numbers and demanded further work before publication of the critical report.
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
Apr 26, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
New fracture analysis plan would change bridge fabrication, inspection
One size does not fit all. By adding the word "not", this now completely revised adage rings true for at least one civil engineer.
Dec 12, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
Volcanic destruction? Not always
For many, the story of Pompeii defines what happens when a volcano erupts: It destroys everything in its path and kills everyone who cannot escape.
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 02, 2011 |
4.5 / 5 (4) |
0
Swiss nuclear shutdown to cost $22.5bn: study
Shutting down Switzerland's five nuclear power stations will cost about 20.7 billion Swiss francs (16.8 billion euros, $22.5 billion) and take about 20 years, Swiss authorities said on Thursday.
Technology / Energy & Green Tech
Nov 24, 2011 |
2.3 / 5 (3) |
2
Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment. A disaster can be ostensively defined as any tragic event with great loss stemming from events such as earthquakes, floods, catastrophic accidents, fires, or explosions.
In contemporary academia, disasters are seen as the consequence of inappropriately managed risk. These risks are the product of hazards and vulnerability. Hazards that strike in areas with low vulnerability are not considered a disaster, as is the case in uninhabited regions.
Developing countries suffer the greatest costs when a disaster hits – more than 95 percent of all deaths caused by disasters occur in developing countries and underdeveloped countries, and losses due to natural disasters are 20 times greater (as a percentage of GDP) in developing countries than in industrialized countries.
For more information about Disaster, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.