Recent Natural Disasters | Calamities | Hazards

Q: Was there an earthquake when Jesus was crucified? A: The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 27, mentions that an earthquake coincided when Jesus was crucified: “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.” The latest investigation, reported in International Geology Review, focused on earthquake activity at the Dead Sea, located 13 miles from Jerusalem.  The study carried out by Supersonic Geophysical and Research Center for Geosciences revealed that at least two major earthquakes affected the core: a widespread earthquake in 31 B.C. and a seismic event that happened sometime between the years 26 and 36. Geologists say Jesus, as described in the New Testament, was most likely crucified on Friday, April 3, in the year 33. In terms of the earthquake data alone, Jefferson Williams of Supersonic Geophysical

A research paper published on March 30, 2016 in the journal Nature has predicted that the global warming could melt the West Antarctic ice sheet within decades—far faster than previously predicted. The melting of ice sheet in the West Antarctic, combined with ice melting in other regions, could cause seas to rise up to six feet by 2100.

A computer model has been developed for the dispersion of volcanic smog (vog) which forms when volcanic sulfur dioxide gas interacts with water and coverts it to acid sulfate aerosol particles in the atmosphere. A paper published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society used measurements of the amount of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted by Kilauea volcano, Science Daily reported.

Is it possible to predict a volcanic eruption and how ? Scientists have developed a new method of predicting volcanic eruptions by collecting geological and historical data on previous eruptions of the volcano. Researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London collected volcanic eruptions data of the Santorini volcano in Greece, to work out the capacity of the volcano's magma-chamber.

Millions of dollars’ worth of gold and silver have been located in the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. According to a report published in the journal Geothermics, at least six deep reservoirs expected to yield high levels of gold and silver have been identified. High grade deposits of precious and other types of metals are said to dissolve in magma-heated water, or hot springs.

Earthquake damage in Khokana, Lalitpur (Disaster Report photo) There is an increased risk of a future major earthquake in the west of Nepal and India region as April earthquake did not release all of the stress that had built up underground, Scientists warned.

How strong is your social interaction and community participation? If you don't have these criteria, then you are less likely to undertake disaster risk reduction actions. People who participate in social activities in their community are more likely to plan and prepare for future natural disasters , according to a new study published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Smartphones and other personal electronic devices could, in regions where they are in widespread use, function as earthquake early warning systems , a recent research done by scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey mentioned. The research published in the inaugural volume of the new AAAS journal Science Advances, found that the sensors in smartphones and similar devices could be used to build earthquake warning systems.

The international team led by astronomers from Peking University in China and from the University of Arizona have discovered a supermassive black hole. The recently discovered black hole is 12 billion times the mass of our sun pumping out a million billion times the energy of our Sun. They believe it may have been formed after the first stars and galaxies emerged after the Big Bang gave birth to our universe.

A research article published in Journal of Disaster Risk Studies has shown the flood disasters leading to children’s poor academic performance in Muzarabani District of Zimbabwe. The natural disaster research has indicated that flood disasters cause loss of learning hours, loss of qualified personnel, outbreak of waterborne diseases, high absenteeism and low syllabus coverage leading to children’s poor academic performance. 

The lahar-hazard risk reduction cannot be effectively accomplished without the active, impartial involvement of volcano scientists as they play a critical role in educating emergency managers, public officials, and at-risk populations about lahar hazards, a research paper published in Journal of Applied Volcanology 2014 has mentioned.

Children born during and after 1997–1998 El Niño were on average shorter than others born before the event in Peru, according to a research published in the open access journal Climate Change Responses.

A research done by American Geophysical Union has shown that even small volcanic eruptions have potentially contributed to the recent slowdown in global warming. The research claims that small volcanic eruptions might eject more of an atmosphere-cooling gas into Earth's upper atmosphere than previously thought resulting in the slowdown in global warming.

A new study by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) published in the journal Science has shown that education making people less vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and storms that are expected to intensify with climate change. The result was based on the analysis of natural disaster data for 167 countries over the past four decades.