Hurricanes, Tornados, Earthqaukes, Volcanos, Floods, Tidal Waves etc etc
2006-07-07 15:40:14 · 26 answers · asked by ancient_wolf_13 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Supervolcanoes is one. We have dozens of eruptions (like at Yellowstone NP) which are 1000x Mt. St. Helens. The largest eruption theorized was the ~1.5 million year old Fish Creek Tuff: about 5,000 cubic km of material was erupted, St. Helens was 0.75, Krakatoa was about 20. Besides the loss of life from the eruption, the climate changes would be significant.
An eruption of Mt. Toba 74,000 years ago amost wiped out humans (see below).
But the worst, and rarest, is a large bolide (meteorite or asteroid or comet) impact. The impact that killed (or at least severly weakened) the dinosaurs is believed to have burned vegitation worldwide, caused a magnitude 12 earthquake at impact, and blocked out the sun completely for 9 weeks.
2006-07-07 15:50:49 · answer #1 · answered by QFL 24-7 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The worst natural disaster (with relation to humanity) is the one that is definitely going to happen millions or billions of years from now: the death of the sun. The process itself takes a long time and humanity, if indeed we are still around when it begins, will cease to exist in the earliest stages of it. I'm referring to the slowly increasing output of the sun's energy at the beginning of its death; which would raise the temperature of the atmosphere, creating more violent and deadly weather. Then there would be the increase of the ambient temperature; which after a certain level would kill anything that lives (animal and vegetable). All of this would occur long before the sun actually expands, turning all of the inner, rocky planets into molten rock.
2006-07-10 08:30:32 · answer #2 · answered by jodash6469 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that the "worst" would be a gamma ray burst at just the right distance, power level, and duration to give most of the human population a barely lethal dose of radiation. This would cause people to die slow, agonizing deaths. The survivors would slowly recover, and wake up to a world with a wrecked environment and economy, wrought with disease and famine. Humans would likely go extinct, but in the least pleasant, drawn-out, and tortuous way imaginable. And this is actually quite possible. In fact, gamma ray bursts are the suspected "mysterious" causes of several of the giant extinctions of Earth's past.
2006-07-07 16:45:03 · answer #3 · answered by Kalvin K 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its all relative if you are only counting those that happen on our planet, such as those listed.. if you DONT live near the area during a natural disaster, you will probably not be effected, as these "disasters" are a natural part of the functioning of our world. Only man has the power to completely obliterate our world from the surface.
On the other hand. Just about any change in our cosmos, solar system, or Orbit Pattern, would be utterly catastophic to Our World as we know it. So they are all equally as bad.
2006-07-21 02:31:55 · answer #4 · answered by paladine9169 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Any that occurs where you live is the worst kind. Tsunami is a terrible thing, but only if you live along a coast. A tornado is bad if you live in Oklahoma.
However, a natural disaster which kills you is the worst type, no matter what it's type.
2006-07-16 11:17:28 · answer #5 · answered by idiot detector 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Collision with an asteroid or commet which will knock the earth off its orbital path.
On Earth though it would be a supervolcano as the effects of which will last for years. All your other suggestions are over in a short space of time.
2006-07-08 01:22:32 · answer #6 · answered by A_Geologist 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Impact with a brown dwarf or black hole. Both would destroy the earth depending on their gravatational force. Earth bound disasters would be a Super Valcano like the one that created the Yellowstone National Park or the one the blew apart the island called Java.
2006-07-07 16:15:30 · answer #7 · answered by jimmybrucehiggins 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pollution!!! Which is happening already! It will take more years before we could realize its impact on us.
Respiratory problems and no safe food for everyone! And it will go on for thousand of years!!! Global warming, species extinctions, more health problems, and other factors related to pollutions.
Insanity will follow and a chaotic war will reign!
It is the Doomsday and it had started without our knowledge.
2006-07-21 13:16:43 · answer #8 · answered by wacky_racer 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally would have to say earthquakes because there is absolutely no warning for them. At least with all the others, you have at least a few minutes warning, atmospheric conditions, etc., that would allow you to possibly escape.
2006-07-20 12:09:18 · answer #9 · answered by Rebecca 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
asteriod collision woudl be worse, but for all but tornado and tidal waves you get a few days warning so they're much worse
2006-07-17 05:38:52 · answer #10 · answered by shiara_blade 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋