Ancient Aztec records uncover hidden earthquake threats

Ancient Aztec records uncover hidden earthquake threats

Scientific observations of Aztec historical accounts suggest that up to 40% of the population in Mexico resides along a zone that is more seismically active than expected, according to the Anales de Tlatelolco (Annals of Tlatelolco). The report was published by the…

New evidence supports giant asteroid impact 12 800 years ago

New evidence supports giant asteroid impact 12 800 years ago

A research team from South Africa has discovered new evidence that suggests Earth was struck by an asteroid or meteorite 12 800 years ago. The event resulted in global consequences and the extinction of many species at the period of an episode called Younger Dryas….

Old World megadroughts and pluvials

Old World megadroughts and pluvials

Researchers have developed the "Old World Drought Atlas" (OWDA), an atlas that used tree rings to map the climate history of Europe during the Common Era. The OWDA matches historical accounts of severe drought and wetness with a spatial completeness not…

Scientists find largest meteorite impact crater in the British Isles

Scientists find largest meteorite impact crater in the British Isles

Researchers have located the epicenter of an ancient meteorite impact along the Scottish coast, the largest impact in the British Isles. In a paper published in Journal of the Geological Society, a team led by Dr. Ken Amor from the Department of Earth Sciences at…

Oldest recorded solar eclipse helps date the Egyptian pharaohs

Oldest recorded solar eclipse helps date the Egyptian pharaohs

Researchers have pinpointed the date of what could be the oldest solar eclipse yet recorded. The event, which occurred on October 30, 1207 BC could have consequences for the chronology of the ancient world. Using a combination of the biblical text and an ancient…

White-light solar flare recorded from Spain in 1886

White-light solar flare recorded from Spain in 1886

Satellites have detected powerful solar flares in the last two months, but this phenomenon has been recorded for over a century. On September 10, 1886, at the age of just 17, a young amateur astronomer using a modest telescope observed from Madrid one of these…

Volcanic eruptions linked to social unrest in Ancient Egypt

Volcanic eruptions linked to social unrest in Ancient Egypt

Around 245 BCE Ptolemy III, ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt, made a decision that still puzzles many historians: After pursuing a successful military campaign against the kingdom's nemesis, the Seleucid Empire, centered mainly in present-day Syria and…

London’s 1952 killer fog mystery solved

London’s 1952 killer fog mystery solved

A new study finally revealed the exact cause of the 1952 killer fog which hovered over London for several days. The fog contained large amounts of pollutants which caused widespread breathing problems and killed thousands of city residents. The fog covered London…

Extreme space weather event that could have led to a nuclear war

Extreme space weather event that could have led to a nuclear war

For the first time, retired U.S. Air Force officers involved in forecasting and analyzing the extreme space weather event of May 23, 1967, collectively and publicly describe how great solar and geomagnetic storm at the height of the Cold War almost led to a…