Curated category
Natural disasters
- LandslideA landslide near Cusco, Peru, in 2018 illustrates the raw power of ground movement. These events, also known as landslips or rockslides, encompass a wide…
- TornadoA tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that extends vertically from the Earth's surface to the base of a cumulonimbus or cumulus cloud.
- WildfireA lightning strike splits the dry air over Nevada in August 2008, igniting a spark that could grow into an uncontrollable blaze.
- FloodWater overflows its usual boundaries to submerge land that remains dry under normal conditions. This overflow can involve water or rarely other fluids moving…
- StormA storm begins when a center of low pressure develops within the atmosphere. This system forms alongside surrounding high-pressure areas that push against it.
- DroughtA drought is simply a period of drier-than-normal conditions. This definition comes from the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report published in 2021.
- Natural disasterIn 1976, scholars began challenging the term natural disaster as a misnomer. Terry Cannon published Vulnerability Analysis and The Explanation Of Natural…
- EarthquakeThe shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere creates seismic waves. This phenomenon is known as an…