Natural Disasters

By Kristenricci
  • Sep 7, 1347

    The Black Death

    The Black Death
    The Black Death or "Bubonic Plague" was the deadliest pandemic in human history. It is thought to have originated in China or Central Asia. The plague killed a record 75 million people within its time, 25-50 million supposedly European.

  • Tambora Eruption

    Tambora Eruption
    Tambora produced the largest eruption known on the planet within the past 10,000 years. It erupted 50 cubic km of magma and collapsed to for a 1250 caldera. The eruption killed more than 100,000 people.

  • Miramichi Fire

    Miramichi Fire
    This wildfire devastated forests and communities across New Brunswick. The fire killed 160 people in total. It was said to be caused by the hot weather, it stretched to 3,000,000 acres before dying out.

  • The Great Flood

    The Great Flood
    This flood of the Mississippi River is the largest ever recorded. The flood was caused after it did not stop raining for 6 straight weeks. Kansas city was covered with 14 feet of water.

  • Great Blizzard

    Great Blizzard
    This blizzard affected Eastern United States and Canada. It was one of the largest blizzards, with a maximum snowfall of 58 inches. It caused $25 million in damages and 400 fatalities.

  • The Dust Bowl

    The Dust Bowl
    The Dust Bowl period was the most destructive drought the United States had ever faced. About 50,000,000 acres of land were affected. Plants could not thrive and the Great Plains literally blew away.

  • Lituya Bay Tsunami

    Lituya Bay Tsunami
    This is the largest tsunami to date, with a height of 1,720 feet. It was caused by an earthquake along the Fairweather Fault in the Alaska Panhandle.

  • Great Chilean Earthquake

    Great Chilean Earthquake
    This earthquake was the largest ever documented. It occurred near Valdivia, Chile. It was assigned a magnitude of 9.5 by the United States Geological Survey.

  • Typhoon Tip

    Typhoon Tip
    This typhoon was the largest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded (category 5). The peak wind diameter was 2,220 km and peak wind speeds were 305 km/h.

  • El Reno Tornado

    El Reno Tornado
    This was the largest recorded tornado with a width of 2.6 miles at its peak. It was labeled an EF5 because of the wind speeds that reached up to 296 mph. The damage stretched across 4 miles.