Down to Earth

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It’s good that mount Sinabung isn’t a supervolcano. Binsar Bakkara/AP

How Earth’s devastating supervolcanoes erupt

Devastating supervolcanoes can erupt simply due to changes that happen in their giant magma chambers as they slowly cool, according to a new study. This finding marks the first time researchers have been…
Super Typhoon Haiyan hits the islands at the mouth of the Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. NASA/NOAA

Super Typhoon Haiyan hits Philippines with devastating force

With sustained winds of more than 310 km/h, or 195 mph, as it approached the Philippines, Super Typhoon Haiyan has hit land in the past few hours with terrifying force. This makes it the strongest tropical…
The trail of a meteor that caused some harm, but mostly helped humanity understand the meteorite strikes on Earth. alexeya

Secrets revealed of ‘dash‑cam’ meteorite that rocked Russia

The asteroid impact that burst over Chelyabinsk, Russia, on the morning of February 15 has provided a huge collection of new data that scientists have been analysing since. This week, three papers, two…
Earth crust cutaway. Jeremy Kemp

Meet the earthquakes that happen 600km underground

A little more than 90 years ago, British geologist Herbert Hall Turner noticed some earthquake data that suggested a surprising explanation. The only way to explain it was if the quake had occurred hundreds…