An avalanche is a huge mass of snow that periodically falls in the form of landslides and avalanches from steep ridges and slopes of high snowy mountains. Avalanches usually move along the weathering ruts existing on the slopes of the mountains, and in the place where their movement stops, in river valleys and at the foot of the mountains, they deposit snow piles, known as avalanche cones.
In addition to occasional glaciers and hail avalanches, periodic winter and spring avalanches are distinguished. Winter avalanches occur due to the fact that freshly fallen loose snow, leaning on the icy surface of old snow, slides over it and rolls down in masses on steep slopes from insignificant causes, often from a shot, a scream, a gust of wind, etc.
The gusts of wind caused by the rapid movement of the snow mass are so strong that they break trees, rip off roofs and even destroy buildings. Spring avalanches are caused by melting water breaking the bond between soil and snow cover. The snow mass on steeper slopes breaks off and rolls down, capturing in its movement stones, trees and buildings encountered on the way, which is accompanied by a strong rumble and crackling.
The place from which such an avalanche rolled down is in the form of a bare black clearing, and where the avalanche stops moving, an avalanche cone is formed, which has a loose surface at first. In Switzerland, avalanches are a common occurrence and have been the subject of repeated observations. The mass of snow delivered by individual avalanches sometimes reaches 1 million or even more m³.
Avalanches, except for the Alps, were observed in the Himalayan mountains, Tien Shan, in the Caucasus, in Scandinavia, where avalanches breaking down from mountain peaks sometimes reach fiords, in the Cordillera and other mountains.
Sel (from the Arabic "sail" - "turbulent stream") is a water, stone or mud stream that occurs in the mountains when rivers overflow, snow melts or after a large amount of precipitation. Similar conditions are typical for most mountainous regions.
According to the composition of the mudflow mass, mudflows are divided into mud-stone, mud, water-stone and water-dressing, and according to physical types - disconnected and connected. In non-cohesive mudflows, the transport medium for solid inclusions is water, and in coherent mudflows, a water-ground mixture. Mudflows move along the slopes at a speed of up to 10 m/s or more, and the mass volume reaches hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of cubic meters, and the mass is 100-200 tons.
Mudflows sweep away everything in their path: they destroy roads, buildings, etc. To combat mudflows on the most dangerous slopes, special structures are installed and a vegetation cover is created that holds the soil layer on the mountain slopes.
In ancient times, the inhabitants of the Earth could not find the true cause of this event, therefore, they associated the volcanic eruption with the disfavor of the gods. Eruptions often caused the death of entire cities. So, at the very beginning of our era, during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, one of the greatest cities of the Roman Empire, Pompeii, was wiped off the face of the earth. The ancient Romans called the god of fire a volcano.
Volcanic eruption is often preceded by an earthquake. In time, in addition to lava, hot stones, gases, water vapor, and ash fly out of the crater, the height of which can reach 5 km. But the greatest danger to people is precisely the eruption of lava, which melts even stones and destroys all life in its path. During one eruption, up to several km³ of lava is ejected from the volcano. But a volcanic eruption is not always accompanied by a lava flow. Volcanoes can be dormant for many years, and the eruption lasts from several days to several months.
Volcanoes are divided into active and extinct. Active volcanoes are those whose last eruption is known. Some volcanoes last erupted so long ago that no one remembers it. Such volcanoes are called extinct. Volcanoes that erupt every few thousand years are called potentially active. If in total there are about 4 thousand volcanoes on Earth, of which 1340 are potentially active.
AT earth's crust, which is under the cover of the sea or ocean, the same processes occur as on the mainland. Lithospheric plates collide, causing tremors in the earth's crust. There are active volcanoes at the bottom of the seas and oceans. It is as a result of underwater earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that huge waves are formed, which are called tsunamis. This word is translated from Japanese language means "giant wave in the harbour".
As a result of the shaking of the ocean floor, a huge column of water sets in motion. The farther from the epicenter of the earthquake the wave moves, the higher it becomes. As the wave approaches land, the lower layers of water hit the bottom, further increasing the power of the tsunami.
The height of a tsunami is usually 10-30 meters. When such a huge mass of water, moving at speeds up to 800 km/h, hits the shore, nothing living is able to survive. The wave sweeps away everything in its path, after which it picks up fragments of destroyed objects and throws them deep into the island or mainland. Usually, the first won is followed by several more (from 3 to 10). Waves 3 and 4 are usually the strongest.
One of the most destructive tsunamis hit the Commander Islands in 1737. According to experts, the wave height was more than 50 meters. Only a tsunami of such power could throw so far on the island the inhabitants of the ocean, whose remains were found by scientists.
Another major tsunami occurred in 1883 after the eruption of the Krakatau volcano. Because of this, a small uninhabited island, on which Krakatoa was located, fell into the water to a depth of 200 meters. The wave that reached the islands of Java and Sumatra reached 40 meters in height. As a result of this tsunami, about 35 thousand people died.
Tsunamis do not always have such dire consequences. Sometimes giant waves do not reach the shores of continents or islands inhabited by people and remain practically unnoticed. In the open ocean, before the collision with the coast, the height of the tsunami does not exceed one meter, so for ships far from the coast it does not
An earthquake is a strong vibration of the earth's surface caused by processes occurring in the lithosphere. Most earthquakes occur in the vicinity of high mountains, since these areas are still forming and the earth's crust is especially mobile here.
Earthquakes are of several types: tectonic, volcanic and landslide. Tectonic earthquakes occur when mountain plates are displaced or as a result of collisions between oceanic and continental platforms. During such collisions, mountains or depressions are formed and the surface oscillates.
Volcanic earthquakes occur when flows of hot lava and gases press down on the surface of the Earth. Volcanic earthquakes are usually not too strong, but can last up to several weeks. In addition, volcanic earthquakes are usually the forerunners of a volcanic eruption, which threatens with more serious consequences.
Landslide earthquakes are associated with the formation of voids underground, arising under the influence of groundwater or underground rivers. At the same time, the top layer of the earth's surface collapses down, causing small shaking.
The place where an earthquake occurs (collision of plates) is called its source or hypocenter. The area of the earth's surface where an earthquake occurs is called the epicenter. It is here that the most severe destruction occurs.
The strength of earthquakes is determined on a ten-point Richter scale, depending on the amplitude of the wave that occurs during the vibration of the surface. The larger the amplitude, the stronger the earthquake. The weakest earthquakes (1-4 points on the Richter scale) are recorded only by special sensitive instruments and do not cause damage. Sometimes they manifest themselves in the form of glass trembling or moving objects, and sometimes they are completely invisible. Earthquakes of 5-7 on the Richter scale cause minor damage, and stronger ones can cause complete destruction of buildings.
Seismologists study earthquakes. According to them, about 500,000 earthquakes of various strengths occur on our planet every year. About 100 thousand of them are felt by people, and 1000 cause damage.
Floods are one of the most common natural disasters. They make up 19% of the total number of natural disasters. Flooding is the flooding of land that occurs as a result of a strong rise in the water level in a river, lake or sea (spill), due to the melting of snow or ice, as well as heavy and prolonged rains.
Depending on the cause of the flood, they are divided into 5 types:
High water - a flood that occurs as a result of melting snow and the release of a reservoir from its natural banks
Flood - a flood associated with heavy rains
Flooding caused by large accumulations of ice that clog the riverbed and prevent water from flowing downstream
Floods caused by strong winds that push water in one direction, most often against the current
Floods resulting from a dam or reservoir failure.
Floods and floods occur every year wherever there are full-flowing rivers and lakes. They are usually expected, flood a relatively small area and do not lead to the death of a large number of people, although they cause destruction. If these types of floods are accompanied by heavy rains, then a much larger area is already flooded. Usually, as a result of such floods, only small buildings are destroyed without a reinforced foundation, communication and power supply are disrupted. The main inconvenience is the flooding of the lower floors of buildings and roads, as a result of which the inhabitants of the flooded areas remain cut off from land.
In some areas where floods are most frequent, houses are even raised on special piles. Floods resulting from the destruction of dams have a great destructive power, especially since they occur unexpectedly.
One of the most severe floods occurred in 2000 in Australia. Heavy rain did not stop there for two weeks, as a result of which 12 rivers immediately overflowed their banks and flooded an area of 200 thousand km².
To prevent floods and their consequences during the floods, the ice on the rivers is blown up, breaking it into small ice floes that do not prevent the flow of water. If it fell during the winter a large number of snow, which threatens with a strong flood of the river, residents from dangerous areas are evacuated in advance.
Hurricane and tornado are atmospheric vortices. However, these two natural phenomena are formed and manifest themselves in different ways. A hurricane is accompanied by a strong wind, and a tornado occurs in thunderclouds and is an air funnel that sweeps away everything in its path.
The speed of a hurricane wind on Earth is 200 km/h near the earth. This is one of the most destructive phenomena of nature: passing over the surface of the earth, it uproots trees, rips off the roofs of houses, and brings down the supports of power lines and communications. A hurricane can exist for several days, weakening and then gaining strength again. The danger of a hurricane is assessed on a special five-point scale, which was adopted in the last century. The degree of danger depends on the speed of the wind and on the destruction that the hurricane produces. But terrestrial hurricanes are far from the strongest. On the giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune), hurricane wind speeds reach 2000 km/h.
A tornado is formed when moving unevenly heated layers of air. It spreads in the form of a dark sleeve towards the land (funnel). The height of the funnel can reach 1500 meters. The funnel of the tornado twists from the bottom up counterclockwise, sucking in everything that is next to it. It is because of the dust and water captured from the ground that the tornado acquires a dark color and becomes visible from afar.
The speed of the tornado can reach 20 m/s, and the diameter can be up to several hundred meters. Its strength allows uprooted trees, cars and even small buildings to be lifted into the air. A tornado can occur not only over land, but also over the water surface.
The height of a spinning air column can reach a kilometer and even one and a half kilometers, it moves at a speed of 10-20 m / s. Its diameter can be from 10 meters (if the tornado passes over the ocean) to several hundred meters (if it passes over the ground). Often a tornado is accompanied by a thunderstorm, rain or even hail. It exists much less than a hurricane (only 1.5-2 hours) and is able to travel only 40-60 km.
The most frequent and strong tornadoes occur on the west coast of America. Americans even assign human names to the largest natural disasters (Katrina, Denis). A tornado in America is called a tornado.
Often in the news you can hear that a natural disaster has happened somewhere. This means that a strong storm or hurricane swept through, an earthquake occurred, or a turbulent mud stream descended from the mountains. Tsunamis, floods, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, drought - all these natural phenomena are devastating, they kill people, demolish houses, neighborhoods, and sometimes entire cities from the face of the earth, causing serious economic damage.
Definition of a cataclysm
What does the word "cataclysm" mean? This, according to the definition of Ushakov's explanatory dictionary, is a sharp change in the conditions of organic life, which is observed on a significant surface of the Earth (planet) and is due to the influence of atmospheric, volcanic and geological processes.
The explanatory dictionary edited by Efremov and Shvedov defines a cataclysm as a destructive change in nature, a catastrophe.
Also, each dictionary indicates that in a figurative sense, a cataclysm is a global and destructive change in the life of society, a disastrous social upheaval.
Of course, you can see common features in all definitions. As you can see, the main meaning that the concept of "cataclysm" carries in itself is destruction, disaster.
Types of natural and social disasters
Depending on the source of occurrence, the following types of disasters are distinguished:
- geological - earthquake or volcanic eruption, mudflow, landslide, avalanche or collapse;
- hydrological - tsunami, flood, breakthrough to the surface from the depths of a gas reservoir (CO 2);
- thermal - forest or peat fire;
- meteorological - hurricane, storm, tornado, cyclone, snowstorm, drought, hail, prolonged downpour.
These natural disasters differ in character and duration (from several minutes to several months), but they all pose a threat to human life and health.
In a separate category, man-made disasters are distinguished - accidents at nuclear installations, chemical facilities, sewage treatment plants, dam breakthroughs and other disasters. Their occurrence provokes a symbiosis of natural forces and the anthropogenic factor.
The most famous social cataclysm is war, revolution. Also emergencies. social character may be associated with overpopulation, migration, epidemics, global unemployment, terrorism, genocide, separatism.
The most terrible cataclysms in the history of the Earth
In 1138, a powerful earthquake occurred in the city of Aleppo (modern Syria), which completely wiped the city off the face of the earth and claimed 230 thousand human lives.
In December 2004 in Indian Ocean there was an underwater earthquake measuring 9.3 points. It triggered a tsunami. Huge 15-meter waves reached the shores of Thailand, India and Indonesia. The number of victims reached 300 thousand people.
In August 1931, in China, due to monsoon rains, a severe flood occurred, which claimed the lives of 4 million (!) People. And in August 1975, due to a powerful typhoon in China, the Banqiao Dam was destroyed. This provoked the largest flood in the last 2000 years, the water went 50 kilometers deep into the mainland, created artificial reservoirs with a total area of 12 thousand km2. As a result, the death toll reached 200 thousand people.
What can expect the blue planet in the future
Scientists predict that strong catastrophes and cataclysms await our planet in the future.
Global warming, which has been worrying progressive minds for more than 50 years, may in the future provoke unprecedented floods, droughts, heavy rains, which will lead not only to millions of victims, but also to a global economic and social crisis.
Also, do not forget that the asteroid 99942 weighing 46 million tons and 500 meters in diameter is inexorably approaching our planet. Astronomers predict a likely collision in 2029 that will destroy the Earth. NASA has created a special working group to address this very serious
Natural disasters and their impact on change
physical and geographical location
The physical and geographical position is the spatial location of any area in relation to the physical and geographical data (equator, prime meridian, mountain systems, seas and oceans, etc.).
The physical and geographical position is determined by geographical coordinates (latitude, longitude), absolute height relative to sea level, proximity (or remoteness) to the sea, rivers, lakes, mountains, etc., position in the composition (location) of natural (climatic, soil-vegetation, zoogeographic) zones. This is the so-called. elements or factors of physical and geographical location.
The physical and geographical position of any locality is purely individual, unique. The place that each territorial entity occupies is not only individually in itself (in the system of geographical coordinates), but also in its spatial environment, i.e., in its location in relation to the elements of the physical and geographical position. Consequently, a change in the physical-geographical position of any locality leads, as a rule, to a change in the physical-geographical position of neighboring localities.
A rapid change in the physical and geographical position can only be due to natural disasters or the activities of man himself.
To the dangerous natural phenomena include all those that reject the state natural environment from the range that is optimal for human life and for their economy. Cataclysmic natural disasters include those that change the face of the earth.
These are catastrophic processes of endogenous and exogenous origin: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods, avalanches and mudflows, landslides, ground subsidence, sudden onset of the sea, global climate change on Earth, etc.
In this paper, we will consider physical and geographical changes that have ever occurred or are occurring in our time under the influence of natural disasters.
CHARACTERISTICS OF NATURAL DISASTERS
earthquakes
Earthquakes are the main source of physical and geographical changes.
An earthquake is a shaking of the earth's crust, underground shocks and vibrations of the earth's surface, caused mainly by tectonic processes. They manifest themselves in the form of tremors, often accompanied by an underground rumble, undulating vibrations of the soil, the formation of cracks, the destruction of buildings, roads and, most sadly, human casualties. Earthquakes play a significant role in the life of the planet. More than 1 million tremors are recorded annually on Earth, which averages about 120 shocks per hour or two shocks per minute. We can say that the earth is in a state of constant trembling. Fortunately, few of them are destructive and catastrophic. There is an average of one catastrophic earthquake and 100 destructive ones per year.
Earthquakes occur as a result of the pulsating-vibrational development of the lithosphere - its compression in some regions and expansion in others. At the same time, tectonic breaks, displacements and uplifts are observed.
Currently on the globe zones of earthquakes of different activity are allocated. The areas of strong earthquakes include the territories of the Pacific and Mediterranean belts. In our country, more than 20% of the territory is prone to earthquakes.
Catastrophic earthquakes (9 points or more) cover the areas of Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, Pamir, Transbaikalia, Transcaucasia and a number of other mountainous regions.
Strong (from 7 to 9 points) earthquakes occur in a territory stretching in a wide strip from Kamchatka to the Carpathians, including Sakhalin, the Baikal region, the Sayans, Crimea, Moldova, etc.
As a result of catastrophic earthquakes, large disjunctive dislocations appear in the earth's crust. Thus, during the catastrophic earthquake on December 4, 1957 in the Mongolian Altai, the Bogdo fault, about 270 km long, appeared, and the total length of the resulting faults reached 850 km.
Earthquakes are caused by sudden, rapid displacements of the wings of existing or newly formed tectonic faults; the voltages that arise in this case are capable of being transmitted over long distances. The occurrence of earthquakes on large faults occurs during a long-term displacement in opposite directions of tectonic blocks or plates that are in contact along the fault. At the same time, cohesive forces keep the fault wings from slipping, and the fault zone experiences a gradually increasing shear deformation. When it reaches a certain limit, the fault “rips open” and its wings are displaced. Earthquakes on newly formed faults are considered as a result of the regular development of systems of interacting cracks that combine into a zone of increased concentration of faults, in which a main fault is formed, accompanied by an earthquake. The volume of the medium, where part of the tectonic stresses are removed and a certain fraction of the accumulated potential energy of deformation is released, is called the earthquake source. The amount of energy released during one earthquake depends mainly on the size of the shifted fault surface. The maximum known length of faults that rupture during an earthquake is in the range of 500-1000 km (Kamchatka - 1952, Chile - 1960, etc.), the wings of the faults were displaced to the sides up to 10 m. The spatial orientation of the fault and the direction of displacement its wings are called the earthquake focal mechanism.
Earthquakes capable of changing the face of the Earth are catastrophic earthquakes with magnitude X-XII points. Geological consequences of earthquakes, leading to physical and geographical changes: cracks appear on the ground, sometimes gaping;
air, water, mud or sand fountains appear, while accumulations of clay or piles of sand are formed;
some springs and geysers stop or change their action, new ones appear;
groundwater becomes cloudy (stirred);
landslides, mud and mudflows, landslides occur;
there is a liquefaction of the soil and sandy-clayey rocks;
underwater creep occurs, and turbidity (turbidite) flows are formed;
coastal cliffs, river banks, bulk areas collapse;
seismic sea waves (tsunami) occur;
snow avalanches break down;
icebergs break off ice shelves;
zones of rift-type disturbances with internal ridges and dammed lakes are formed;
the soil becomes uneven with areas of subsidence and swelling;
seiches occur on lakes (standing waves and churning of waves off the coast);
the regime of ebbs and flows is violated;
volcanic and hydrothermal activity is activated.
Volcanoes, tsunamis and meteorites
Volcanism is a set of processes and phenomena associated with the movement of magma in the upper mantle, the earth's crust and on the surface of the earth. As a result of volcanic eruptions, volcanic mountains, volcanic lava plateaus and plains, crater and dam lakes, mud flows, volcanic tuffs, cinders, breccias, bombs, ash are formed, volcanic dust and gases are emitted into the atmosphere.
Volcanoes are located in seismically active zones, especially in the Pacific. In Indonesia, Japan, Central America there are several dozen active volcanoes - in total on land from 450 to 600 active and about 1000 "sleeping" volcanoes. About 7% of the world's population is dangerously close to active volcanoes. There are at least several dozen large underwater volcanoes on the mid-ocean ridges.
In Russia, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin are exposed to the danger of volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. There are extinct volcanoes in the Caucasus and Transcaucasia.
The most active volcanoes erupt on average once every few years, all currently active volcanoes erupt on average once every 10-15 years. In the activity of each volcano there are, apparently, periods of relative decrease and increase in activity, measured in thousands of years.
Tsunamis often occur during eruptions of island and underwater volcanoes. Tsunami is a Japanese term for an unusually large sea wave. These are waves of great height and destructive force that occur in earthquake zones and volcanic activity ocean floor. The speed of such a wave can vary from 50 to 1000 km/h, the height in the area of origin is from 0.1 to 5 m, and near the coast - from 10 to 50 m or more. Tsunamis often cause destruction on the coast - in some cases catastrophic: they lead to erosion of the coast, the formation of turbidity flows. Another cause of ocean tsunamis are underwater landslides and avalanches breaking into the sea.
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In the last 50 years, about 70 seismogenic tsunamis of dangerous size have been recorded, of which 4% in the Mediterranean Sea, 8% in the Atlantic, and the rest in pacific ocean. The most tsunami-prone shores are Japan, the Hawaiian and Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka, the Kuril Islands, Alaska, Canada, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, Indonesia, Chile, Peru, New Zealand, the Aegean, Adriatic and Ionian Seas. In the Hawaiian Islands, tsunamis with an intensity of 3-4 points occur on average 1 time in 4 years, on the Pacific coast South America- once every 10 years.
Flooding is a significant flooding of an area as a result of a rise in the water level in a river, lake or sea. Floods are caused by heavy rainfall, melting snow, ice, hurricanes and storms, which contribute to the destruction of bulk structures, dams, dams. Floods can be river (floodplain), surge (on the coasts of the seas), planar (flooding of vast watershed areas), etc.
Large catastrophic floods are accompanied by a rapid and high rise in the water level, a sharp increase in the speed of flows, their destructive power. Devastating floods occur almost every year in various regions of the earth. In Russia, they are most frequent in the south of the Far East.
flood on Far East in 2013
Disasters of cosmic origin are of no small importance. The Earth is constantly bombarded by cosmic bodies ranging in size from fractions of a millimeter to several meters. The larger the size of the body, the less often it falls on the planet. Bodies with a diameter greater than 10 m, as a rule, invade the Earth's atmosphere, only weakly interacting with the latter. The bulk of matter reaches the planet. The speed of cosmic bodies is enormous: approximately from 10 to 70 km/s. Their collision with the planet leads to strong earthquakes, an explosion of the body. At the same time, the mass of the destroyed substance of the planet is hundreds of times greater than the mass of the fallen body. Huge masses of dust rise into the atmosphere, shielding the planet from solar radiation. The earth is cooling. The so-called "asteroid" or "comet" winter is coming.
According to one hypothesis, one of these bodies that fell in the Caribbean hundreds of millions of years ago led to significant physical and geographical changes in the area, the formation of new islands and reservoirs, and along the way to the extinction of most of the animals that inhabited the Earth, in particular dinosaurs. .
Some cosmic bodies could fall into the sea in historical times(5-10 thousand years ago). According to one version, the global flood, described in the legends of different peoples, could be caused by a tsunami as a result of a cosmic body falling into the sea (ocean). The body could fall into the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Their coasts were traditionally inhabited by peoples.
Fortunately for us, collisions of the Earth with large cosmic bodies are very rare.
NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE HISTORY OF THE EARTH
Natural disasters of antiquity
According to one of the hypotheses, natural disasters could cause physical and geographical changes in the hypothetical supercontinent Gondwana that existed approximately 200 million years ago in the southern hemisphere of the Earth.
Southern continents have a common history of development natural conditions- they were all part of Gondwana. Scientists believe that the internal forces of the Earth (the movement of the substance of the mantle) led to the split and expansion of a single continent. There is also a hypothesis about the cosmic reasons for the change in the appearance of our planet. It is believed that the collision of an extraterrestrial body with our planet could cause a split of a giant landmass. One way or another, in the spaces between the separate parts of Gondwana, the Indian and Atlantic oceans gradually formed, and the continents occupied their present position.
When trying to "gather" together the pieces of Gondwana, one can come to the conclusion that some land areas are clearly not enough. This suggests that there could be other continents that disappeared as a result of any natural disasters. Until now, disputes about the possible existence of Atlantis, Lemuria and other mysterious lands do not stop.
For a long time it was believed that Atlantis was a huge island (or mainland?), Sunk in the Atlantic Ocean. Currently the bottom Atlantic Ocean well surveyed and found that there is no island that sank 10-20 thousand years ago. Does this mean that Atlantis did not exist? It is quite possible not. They began to look for her in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. Most likely, Atlantis was located in the Aegean Sea and was part of the Santorian archipelago.
Atlantis
The death of Atlantis is first described in the writings of Plato, the myths about its death come to us from the ancient Greeks (the Greeks themselves could not describe this, due to the lack of writing). Historical information suggests that the natural disaster that destroyed the island of Atlantis was the explosion of the Santorian volcano in the 15th century. BC e.
Everything that is known about the structure and geological history of the Santorian archipelago is very reminiscent of the legends of Plato. As geological and geophysical studies have shown, as a result of the Santorian explosion, at least 28 km3 of pumice and ash were thrown out. The ejection products covered the surroundings, the thickness of their layer reached 30-60 m. The ash spread not only within the Aegean Sea, but also in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. The eruption lasted from several months to two years. In the last phase of the eruption, the interior of the volcano collapsed and sank hundreds of meters under the waters of the Aegean Sea.
Another type of natural cataclysm that changed the face of the Earth in ancient times is an earthquake. As a rule, earthquakes cause great damage and cause casualties, but do not change the physical and geographical position of the regions. Such changes lead to the so-called. super earthquakes. Apparently, one of these super-earthquakes was in prehistoric times. A crack up to 10,000 km long and up to 1,000 km wide has been discovered at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. This crack could have formed as a result of a super-earthquake. With a focus depth of about 300 km, its energy reached 1.5 1021 J. And this is 100 times more than the energy of the strongest earthquake. This should have led to significant changes in the physical and geographical position of the surrounding territories.
Floods are another no less dangerous element.
One of the global floods could be the already mentioned above biblical Flood. As a result of it, the highest mountain of Eurasia, Ararat, was under water, and some expeditions are still looking for the remains of Noah's Ark on it.
global flood
noah's ark
During the entire Phanerozoic (560 million years), eustatic fluctuations did not stop, and in some periods the water level of the World Ocean rose by 300-350 m relative to its present position. At the same time, significant areas of land (up to 60% of the area of \u200b\u200bthe continents) were flooded.
Changed the appearance of the Earth in ancient times and cosmic bodies. The fact that in prehistoric times asteroids fell into the ocean is evidenced by craters at the bottom of the oceans:
Mjolnir crater in the Barents Sea. Its diameter was about 40 km. It arose as a result of the fall of an asteroid with a diameter of 1-3 km into a sea with a depth of 300-500 m. This happened 142 million years ago. An asteroid at a distance of 1 thousand km caused a tsunami with a height of 100-200 m;
Lokne crater in Sweden. It was formed about 450 million years ago by the fall of an asteroid about 600 m in diameter into a sea 0.5-1 km deep. The cosmic body caused a wave with a height of 40-50 m at a distance of about 1 thousand km;
Eltanin crater. It is located at a depth of 4-5 km. It arose as a result of the fall of an asteroid 0.5-2 km in diameter 2.2 million years ago, which led to the formation of a tsunami with a height of about 200 m at a distance of 1 thousand km from the epicenter.
Naturally, the height of the tsunami waves near the coast was much higher.
In total, about 20 craters have been discovered in the world's oceans.
Natural disasters of our time
Now there is no doubt that the past century was marked by a rapid increase in the number of natural disasters and the volume of material losses associated with them and physical and geographical changes in territories. In less than half a century, the number of natural disasters has tripled. The increase in the number of disasters occurs mainly due to atmospheric and hydrospheric hazards, which include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms, etc. The average number of tsunamis remains almost unchanged - about 30 per year. Apparently, these events are associated with a number of objective reasons: population growth, growth in energy production and its release, changes in environment, weather and climate. It is proved that the air temperature over the past few decades has increased by about 0.5 degrees Celsius. This led to an increase in the internal energy of the atmosphere by about 2.6 1021 J, which is tens and hundreds of times higher than the energy of the strongest cyclones, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions and thousands and hundreds of thousands of times the energy of earthquakes and their consequences - tsunamis. It is possible that the increase in the internal energy of the atmosphere destabilizes the metastable ocean-land-atmosphere (OSA) system responsible for the weather and climate on the planet. If so, then it is quite possible that many natural disasters are related.
The idea that the growth of natural anomalies is generated by a complex anthropogenic impact on the biosphere was put forward in the first half of the 20th century by the Russian researcher Vladimir Vernadsky. He believed that the physical and geographical conditions on Earth are generally unchanged and are due to the functioning of living things. However, human economic activity disturbs the balance of the biosphere. As a result of deforestation, plowing of territories, drainage of swamps, urbanization, the surface of the Earth, its reflectivity is changing, and the natural environment is being polluted. This leads to a change in the trajectories of heat and moisture transfer in the biosphere and, ultimately, to the appearance of undesirable natural anomalies. Such a complex degradation of the natural environment is the cause of natural disasters leading to global geophysical changes.
The historical genesis of the earth's civilization is organically woven into the global context of the evolution of nature, which has a cyclical nature. It has been established that the geographical, historical and social phenomena taking place on the planet do not occur sporadically and arbitrarily, they are in organic unity with certain physical phenomena of the surrounding world.
From a metaphysical point of view, the nature and content of the evolution of all life on Earth is determined by the regular change of historical and metrical cycles of sunspot-forming activity. At the same time, the cycle change is accompanied by all sorts of cataclysms - geophysical, biological, social and others.
Thus, the metaphysical measurement of the fundamental qualities of space and time makes it possible to track and identify the most serious threats and dangers to the existence of earthly civilization in various periods of the development of world history. Proceeding from the fact that the safe paths of the evolution of the earth's civilization are organically linked with the stability of the planet's biosphere as a whole and the mutual conditionality of the existence of all species, it is important not only to understand the nature of natural and climatic anomalies and cataclysms, but also to see the ways of salvation and survival of mankind.
According to existing forecasts, in the foreseeable future there will be another change in the global historical and metrical cycle. As a result, humanity will face cardinal geophysical changes on planet Earth. According to experts, natural and climatic cataclysms will lead to a change in the geographical configuration of individual countries, shifts in the state of the habitat and ethnic landscapes. Flooding of vast territories, an increase in the area of marine areas, soil erosion, an increase in the number of lifeless spaces (deserts, etc.) will become common phenomena. Changes in environmental conditions, in particular the duration of daylight hours, precipitation characteristics, the state of the ethno-nurturing landscape, etc., will actively influence the characteristics of biochemical metabolism, the formation of the subconscious and the mentality of people.
An analysis of the probable physical and geographical causes of powerful floods in Europe in recent years (in Germany, as well as in Switzerland, Austria and Romania), carried out by a number of scientists, shows that the primary cause of devastating cataclysms is, most likely, the release of ice from the Arctic Ocean.
In other words, due to the ongoing sharp warming of the climate, it is quite possible that floods are just beginning. The amount of open blue water in the straits between the Arctic islands of the Great Canadian Archipelago has increased. Giant polynyas appeared even between the northernmost of them - Ellesmere Island and Greenland.
Release from multi-year, heavy landfast ice, with which the aforementioned straits between these islands were literally clogged, can lead to a sharp increase in the so-called Western flow into the Atlantic of cold Arctic water (with a temperature of minus 1.8 degrees Celsius) from the western side of Greenland. And this, in turn, will sharply reduce the cooling of this water, which so far flows out in bulk from the eastern side of Greenland, which is moving towards it from the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream in the future can be cooled by this runoff by 8 degrees Celsius. At the same time, American scientists predicted a catastrophe if the water temperature in the Arctic rises even by one degree Celsius. Well, if it rises by a few degrees, then the ice covering the ocean will melt not in 70-80 years, as American scientists predict, but in less than ten.
According to experts, in the foreseeable future, coastal countries whose territories are directly adjacent to the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans will be in a vulnerable position. Members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change believe that due to the active melting of the glaciers of Antarctica and Greenland, the level of the World Ocean may rise by 60 cm, which will lead to the flooding of some island states and coastal cities. First of all, we are talking about the territories of the North and Latin America, Western Europe, Southeast Asia.
Such assessments are contained not only in open scientific articles, but also closed studies of special state structures USA and UK. In particular, according to Pentagon estimates, if in the next 20 years there are problems with the temperature regime of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic, this will inevitably change the physical and geographical position of the continents, a global crisis of the world economy will come, which will lead to new wars and conflicts in the world.
According to the studies, the greatest resistance to natural disasters and anomalies on the planet, due to its physical and geographical data, will continue to be preserved by the Eurasian continent, the post-Soviet space and, above all, the modern territory of the Russian Federation.
We are talking here about what is happening, according to scientists, the movement of the energy center of the Sun to a “large physical and geographical zone” from the Carpathians to the Urals. AT geographically it coincides with the lands of "historical Russia", to which it is customary to refer the modern territories of Belarus and Ukraine, the European part of Russia. The action of such phenomena of cosmic origin means a point concentration of solar and other energy on the fauna and flora of the “large physical-geographical zone”. In a metaphysical context, a situation arises in which the area of settlement of the peoples of this territory will play a major role in world social processes.
not so long ago there was a sea
At the same time, according to existing geological estimates, the physical and geographical position of Russia, unlike many other countries, will suffer to a lesser extent from the catastrophic consequences of natural changes on Earth. It is expected that the general warming of the climate will contribute to the regeneration of the natural and climatic habitat, an increase in the diversity of fauna and flora in certain areas of Russia. Global changes will have a beneficial effect on the fertility of the lands of the Urals and Siberia. At the same time, experts suggest that the territory of Russia is unlikely to escape large and small floods, the growth of steppe zones and semi-deserts.
CONCLUSION
Throughout the history of the Earth, the physical and geographical position of all elements of the land has changed under the influence of natural disasters.
A change in the factors of the physical and geographical position can occur, as a rule, only under the influence of natural disasters.
The largest geophysical disasters associated with numerous casualties and destruction, changes in the physical and geographical data of territories, are caused as a result of seismic activity of the lithosphere, which most often manifests itself in the form of earthquakes. Earthquakes provoke other natural disasters: volcanic activity, tsunamis, floods. A real megatsunami occurred when space bodies with dimensions from tens of meters to tens of kilometers fell into the ocean or sea. Such events in the history of the Earth happened many times.
Many specialists of our time recognize an obvious trend towards an increase in the number of natural anomalies and disasters, the number of natural disasters per unit of time continues to grow. Perhaps this is due to the deterioration of the ecological situation on the planet, with an increase in the temperature of gas in the atmosphere.
According to experts, due to the melting of the Arctic glaciers, new severe floods are expected northern continents in the very near future.
Evidence of the reliability of geological forecasts are all sorts of natural disasters that have occurred recently. Today, natural anomalous phenomena, temporary climatic imbalances, sharp temperature fluctuations are becoming constant companions of our lives. They increasingly destabilize the situation and make significant adjustments to the daily life of the states and peoples of the world.
The situation is complicated by the increasing influence of the anthropogenic factor on the state of the environment.
In general, the upcoming natural, climatic and geophysical changes, which carry a serious threat to the very existence of the peoples of the world, require states and governments to be ready to act in crisis conditions today. The world is gradually beginning to realize that the problems of vulnerability of the current ecological system The Earth and the Sun have acquired the rank of global threats and require immediate resolution. According to scientists, humanity is still able to cope with the consequences of natural and climatic changes.
“... In fact, humanity does not have not only 100 years, but even 50 years! The maximum that we have is several decades, taking into account impending events. Over the past two decades, alarming changes in the geophysical parameters of the planet, the emergence of a variety of observed anomalies, an increase in the frequency and scale of extreme events, an abrupt increase in natural disasters on Earth in the atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere indicate the release of extremely high level additional exogenous (external) and endogenous (internal) energy. As you know, in 2011 this process began to enter a new active phase, as evidenced by noticeable jumps in the released seismic energy, recorded during more frequent strong earthquakes, as well as an increase in the number of powerful destructive typhoons, hurricanes, a widespread change in thunderstorm activity and other anomalous natural phenomena ... » from the report
What awaits humanity tomorrow - no one knows. But the fact that our civilization is already on the verge of self-destruction is no longer a secret to anyone. This is evidenced by daily events around the world, to which we simply turn a blind eye. A great amount of material has been accumulated that reflects the reality of our life and future events. As an example, a very impressive video - taking place from September 2015 to the present day.
The subsequent photographs are by no means a method of shock therapy, this is the harsh reality of our life, which is neither THERE, but HERE - on our planet. But for some reason we turn away from this, or we prefer not to notice the reality and seriousness of what is happening.
Hanshin, Japan
Tohoku, Japan
Agree indisputable fact is that a huge number of people, as well as each individual individually, are not fully aware of the complexity and seriousness of the current situation on Earth today. For some reason, we turn a blind eye to this, adhering to the principle: "the less you know - you sleep better, you have enough worries, my hut is on the edge." But the fact that every day on the entire planet Earth, on different continents there are floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes - scientists, newspapers, television, the Internet inform. But, nevertheless, the media, for certain reasons, do not reveal the whole truth, carefully hiding the true climate situation in the world and the urgent need for urgent action. This is one of the main reasons why most people naively believe that these terrible events will not affect them, at a time when all the facts indicate that an irreversible global process of climate change has begun. And already in our time there is a rapid growth of such a worldwide problem as global cataclysms.
These graphs clearly demonstrate that over the past decade, the world has seen a significant increase in the number of natural disasters, and dozens of times.
Rice. 1. Graph of the number of natural disasters in the world from 1920 to 2015. Compiled on the basis of the EM-DAT database.
Rice. 2. Graph with a cumulative total showing the number of earthquakes in the United States of magnitude 3 and above from 1975 to April 2015. Compiled from the USGS database.
The statistics given above clearly show the climatic situation on our planet. Most people today, lulled and blinded by illusion, do not even want to think about the future. Many feel that something is happening to the climate around the world and understand that natural anomalies of this kind indicate the seriousness of everything that is happening. But fear and irresponsibility are pushing people to turn away and again plunge into the usual bustle. AT modern society it is considered quite normal to shift the responsibility for everything that happens to us and around us to someone. We live our lives relying on the fact that the state authorities will do everything for us: they will create good conditions for living in a peaceful life, and in case of danger, great scientists will warn us in advance and the state authorities will take care of us. The phenomenon is paradoxical, but this is how our consciousness works - we always believe that someone owes us something and forget that we ourselves are responsible for our lives. And here it is important to understand that in order to survive, people themselves need to unite. Only the people themselves can lay the foundation for the worldwide unification of all mankind, no one but us will do this. The words of the great poet F. Tyutchev fit perfectly:
Unity, - proclaimed the oracle of our days, -
Perhaps soldered with iron and blood only ... "
But we will try to solder it with love, -
And then we will see that it is stronger ...
It would also be appropriate to remind our readers of the current refugee situation in Europe. There are only about three million of them, according to official figures, but huge problems of banal survival have already begun. And this is in a civilized, well-fed Europe. Why, it would seem, even rich Europe is not able to adequately solve the problem of migrants? And what will happen if about two billion people undergo forced migration in the coming years?! The following question also arises: where do you think millions and billions of people will go if they manage to survive in global cataclysms?But the problem of survival will become acute for everyone: housing, food, work, etc. What will happen then if we, in a peaceful life, given the format of a consumer society, are constantly fighting for our piece of matter, starting from MY apartment, MY car and ending with MY mug, MY armchair and MY favorite, inviolable slippers?
It becomes clear that we can survive the period of global cataclysms only by joining our efforts. The coming trials will be possible to pass with honor and the least number of human casualties, only if we are a single family, united by friendship, humanity and mutual assistance. If we prefer to be a herd of animals, then the animal world has its own laws of survival - the strongest survive. But are we animals?
“Yes, if society does not change, then humanity simply will not survive. During the period of global changes, people, due to the aggressive activation of the Animal nature (which obeys the general Animal mind), like any other intelligent matter, will simply fight for survival on their own, that is, peoples will exterminate each other, and those who remain alive will be destroyed by itself. nature. It will be possible to survive the coming cataclysms only with the unification of all mankind and the qualitative transformation of society in the spiritual sense. If, by joint efforts, people can still change the direction of the world community from the consumer direction towards the true spiritual development, with the dominance of the Spiritual nature in it, then humanity will have a chance to survive this period. Moreover, both society and future generations will be able to reach a qualitatively new stage in their development. But only now it depends on the real choice and actions of everyone! And most importantly, many smart people the planets understand this, they see the impending catastrophe, the collapse of society, but they don’t know how to resist all this and what to do.” Anastasia Novykh "AllatRa"
Why do people not notice, or pretend not to notice, or simply do not want to notice those numerous threats of planetary global cataclysms and all other acute problems facing all of humanity today. The reason for such behavior of the inhabitants of our planet is the lack of real Knowledge about man and the world. Modern man has replaced the concept of the true value of life, and therefore today few people can confidently answer such questions as: “Why does a person come into this world? What awaits us after the death of our body? Where and why did this whole material world appear, which brings not only happiness, but also a lot of suffering to a person? Surely there must be some meaning to this? Or maybe the Great Divine Plan?
Today we have with you books by Anastasia Novykh that answer all these questions. Moreover, having become acquainted with the Primordial Knowledge about the world and man, set forth in these books, most of us accepted them as a guide to action for the internal transformation of ourselves into better side. Now we know the purpose of our life and we know what we need to do in order to achieve it. We gratefully meet obstacles on our way and rejoice in victories. And it's wonderful! In fact, this Knowledge is a great gift for mankind. But having come into contact with them and accepting them, we are responsible for our actions and for what is happening around us. But why do we forget about it? Why do we constantly forget about what is happening now on other continents, in other cities and countries?
"The personal contribution of each person to the common cause of the spiritual and moral transformation of society is very important"- book "AllatRa" "Now"- this is the right time to ask yourself the question: How can I personally contribute to creating the conditions necessary to unite all people in order to survive the impending disasters?
“It is important to raise public awareness of the problems of the near future. All socially active people need to take an active part in the unification and rallying of the world society today, ignoring all the selfish, social, political, religious and other barriers that the system artificially separates people. Only by joining our efforts in the global community, not on paper, but in deed, it is possible to have time to prepare the majority of the planet's inhabitants for those planetary climate, world economic global shocks and changes that are coming. Each of us can do a lot of useful things in this direction! By uniting, people multiply their capabilities tenfold ”(From the Report).
To unite all mankind into a single family, a general mobilization of our forces and capabilities is necessary. The fate of all mankind today hangs in the balance, and a lot really depends on our actions.
At the moment, ALLATRA IPM participants from all over the world are jointly implementing projects aimed at uniting all people and building a creative society. Everyone who remains indifferent to the future of all mankind and feels a sincere need to sincerely help people not in words, but in deeds, and is ready to lend a helping hand right now, can join this project to inform the inhabitants of the planet about upcoming cataclysms and ways out of the current circumstances through the unification of all the people of the planet into a single and friendly family.
It's no secret that time is running out. Therefore it is very important now understand that only together we can survive the coming cataclysms. The unification of people is the key to the survival of mankind.
Literature:
Report “On the problems and consequences of global climate change on Earth. Effective Ways to Solve These Problems” by the international group of scientists of ALLATRA International Public Movement, November 26, 2014 http://allatra-science.org/publication/climate
J.L.Rubinstein, A.B.Mahani, Myths and Facts on Wastewater Injection, Hydraulic Fracturing, Enhanced Oil Recovery, and Induced Seismicity, Seismological Research Letters, Vol. 86, Num. 4, July/August 2015 link
Anastasia Novykh "AllatRa", K.: AllatRa, 2013 http://books.allatra.org/ru/kniga-allatra
Prepared by: Jamal Magomedov
Every year, various human activities and natural phenomena cause environmental disasters and economic losses around the world. But beyond the dark side, there is something admirable about the destructive power of nature.
This article will present you the most interesting natural phenomena and cataclysms that happened in 2011 and 2012, and at the same time remained not very well known to the public.
10. Sea smoke on the Black Sea, Romania.
Sea smoke is the evaporation of sea water, which is formed when the air is cold enough and the water is heated by the sun. Because of the temperature difference, the water begins to evaporate.
This beautiful photo was taken a few months ago in Romania by Dan Mihailescu.
9. Strange sounds coming from the frozen Black Sea, Ukraine.
If you've ever wondered what a frozen sea sounds like, here's the answer! Reminds me of scratching wood with nails.
The video was filmed on the coast of Odessa in Ukraine.
8. Trees in the web, Pakistan.
An unexpected side effect of the massive flood that inundated one-fifth of Pakistan's landmass is that millions of spiders escaped the water and climbed trees to form cocoons and huge webs.
7. Fire tornado - Brazil.
A rare phenomenon called "fire tornado" was caught on camera in Aracatuba, Brazil. A deadly cocktail of high temperatures, strong winds and fires formed a whirlwind of fire.
6. Cappuccino Coast, UK.
In December 2011, the seaside resort of Cleveleys, Lancashire was covered in cappuccino-colored sea foam (first photo). The second and third photos were taken in Cape Town, South Africa.
According to experts, sea foam is formed from molecules of fat and proteins created as a result of the decomposition of tiny sea creatures (Phaeocystis).
5. Snow in the desert, Namibia.
As you know, the Namibian Desert is the oldest desert on earth, and it would seem that, apart from sand and eternal heat, there can be nothing unusual here. However, judging by the statistics, it snows here almost every ten years.
The last time this happened was in June 2011, when snow fell between 11 am and 12 noon. On this day, the lowest temperature in Namibia was recorded -7 degrees Celsius.
4. Huge whirlpool, Japan.
An incredibly large whirlpool formed off the east coast of Japan after the sensational tsunami last year. Whirlpools are common in tsunamis, but such large ones are rare.
3. Waterspouts, Australia.
In May 2011, four tornado-like tornadoes formed off the coast of Australia, one of which reached a height of 600 meters.
Waterspouts usually start as tornadoes - above the ground, and then move to a body of water. Their size in height starts from a few meters, and the width varies up to a hundred meters.
It is noteworthy that local residents in this region have not seen such phenomena for more than 45 years.
2. Massive sandstorms, USA.
This incredible video shows the huge sandstorm that engulfed Phoenix in 2011. The cloud of dust grew up to 50 km wide and reached 3 km in height.
Sandstorms are a common meteorological event in Arizona, but researchers and locals unanimously declared that this storm was the largest in the history of the state.
1. Volcanic ash from Lake Nahuel Huapi - Argentina.
The massive eruption of the Puyehue volcano - near the city of Osorno, in southern Chile, has created an incredible spectacle in Argentina.
Northeast winds blew some of the ash onto Lake Nahuel Huapi. And its surface was covered with a thick layer of volcanic debris, which is very abrasive and does not dissolve in water.
By the way, Nahuel Huapi is the deepest and cleanest lake in Argentina. The lake stretches for 100 km along the Chilean border.
The depth reaches 400 meters, and its area is 529 square meters. km.