Oceans

Surf froths around Cape Horn in Chile's Tierra del Fuego. This archipelago, which means "land of fire" in Spanish, is the meeting point of the world's two largest oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Photograph by Gordon Wiltsie

Earthquakes

A 1976 earthquake near Guatemala City shattered this bridge in Agua Caliente, cutting off the city’s main supply route to the Atlantic. The 7.5-magnitude quake killed more than 23,000 people and left thousands more injured and homeless.
Photograph by Robert W. Madden

Earthquakes

Workers position support beams to steady titling homes in San Francisco's Marina District after a disastrous earthquake hit the city in 1989. The 7.1-magnitude earthquake buckled highways and bridges, crushed cars, and toppled homes and buildings throughout the city.

Photograph by Michael K. Nichols

lava

Tanzania’s Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano releases a silken stream of lava. Ol Doinyo Lengai is the only volcano in the world that erupts natrocarbonatite, a highly fluid lava with the viscosity of olive oil.

Photograph by Carsten Peter

caldera

Climbers mount whorls of lava on the caldera of Ethiopia’s Ertale Volcano as steam escapes from a lava lake in the volcano’s crater that can reach temperatures of 1,868°F (1,020°C).

Photograph by Carsten Peter

Volcanoes

Perched above the lighted city of Catania, Italy, Mount Etna hurls a fountain of fire skyward as rivers of lava spill down its flanks. In spite of its dazzling displays, Mount Etna is a relatively safe volcano with rare, compact eruptions and slow-flowing lava that gives people a chance to escape.

Photograph by Carsten Peter