Archive by category | Natural disasters

Indian Ocean signal was not crash of flight MH370

Indian Ocean signal was not crash of flight MH370

Hopes have faded that hydroacoustic signals picked up on the floor of the Indian Ocean might help to locate the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 airliner which disappeared in March. Data from an additional sensor suggest that the signal likely resulted from geological activity and not the sound of an aeroplane crashing into the ocean’s surface.  Read more

Russian meteor blast was the largest ever recorded by CTBTO

The blast on 15 February over the Urals Mountains of a fireball that had entered the Earth’s atmosphere over the Kazakh-Russian border was the largest explosion ever recorded by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CNTBTO), according to the first detailed analysis of the event.  Read more

Quake off eastern Russia may be biggest-ever deep temblor

Quake off eastern Russia may be biggest-ever deep temblor

An extraordinarily deep earthquake shook Russia’s Far East this morning. The magnitude-8.3 quake took place nearly 610 kilometres below Earth’s surface, according to preliminary estimates from the US Geological Survey.  Read more

Seismic fault’s temperature implies deadly earthquake involved low friction

Researchers have come a step closer to understanding how and why the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011 were so surprisingly big. Temperature sensors installed in the fault last year now show that friction between the rocks during the quake was an order of magnitude smaller than previously assumed.  Read more

Italian seismologists appeal L’Aquila ruling

Sseven scientists, engineers and government officials who were found guilty of manslaughter after the 2009 earthquake in the city of L’Aquila all filed their appeals against the verdict in time for a 6 March deadline.  Read more

Hurricane Sandy relief bill clears first barrier, stirs debate

Hurricane Sandy relief bill clears first barrier, stirs debate

The US House of Representatives on 15 January passed the second and third installments of a piecemeal Hurricane Sandy disaster relief plan, adding about $50 billion to $9.7 billion in flood insurance funds that were authorised on 4 January.  Read more