Have a look at 2014's Top Geological Events!

At the beginning of the New Year, here are the top geological events for 2014, as reported by the Weather Channel! They include five major earthquakes, six volcano eruptions and three landslides, occurring all around the globe, permanently altering people's lives and landscapes. The geological events are listed below in chronological order!

January 2014: The eruption of the stratovolcano of Mount Sinabung in Jakarta, inaugurated 2014, with a major event, spreading volcanic ash, pyroclastic flows and hot gases into the air and the surrounding area. Volcanic activity continued throughout the year, disrupting peoples' lives but also attracting many tourists in the area. 

February 2014: Kelud, another Indonesian volcano, located in the eastern part of Java, was awakened in February. The ash from the eruption reached up to 300 miles from the ground, led four airports to close, haulted commercial activities for several days and displaced around 76,000 people from their residences.

March 2014: This month was marked by the Oso landslide, an event that turned out to be America's deadliest natural landslide, not caused by earthquake or volcanic activity. Casualties reached 43 people, while major damage was caused to the nearby residential area and the State Route. 

April 2014: Last year's stongest earthquake stroke in April in Iquique, Chile, with a magnitude of 8.2. An 8-ft tsunami was generated, floooding the nearby Chilean coasts, six people died and hundreds of homes destroyed. The third strongest temblor of the year with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred in the same area, with minor damages. 

June 2014: Another volcanic eruption, occurring in Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on June 27th, set the ground for months of worry for the local population. 

August 2014: With a magnitude of 6.1, the earthquake that occurred in Ludian County in China's Yunnan Province, may not have been the strongest, but turned out to be the deadliest event of the year. Over 600 casualties were recorded, at least 3,000 injured in the remote farming region of southwestern China. It is estimated that 12,000 homes were damaged, while a landslide which blocked the Niulan River created a 130ft deep lake in the area. 

August 2014: Orkney earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5, became South Africa's strongest earthquake since 1969. It occurred very close to a mining operations center and what makes this event stand out, is the Council's for Geoscience of South Africa announcement that mining activities triggered the event. One man lost his life but monor damages were recorded in the area, from the strongest mining-related quake in the country. 

August 2014: Hiroshima, Japan landslides also occurred in August 2014, making the specific month the richest in geological disasters. Following heavy rain, a series of landslides destroyed homes and appartmend condos claiming the lives of 74 people. The landslides' impact was so significant that some shelters remained open until Christmas Day.

August 2014: U.S.'s costliest earthquake occurred in Napa Valley, California. Total damage from the magnitude 6.0 event is estimated to approximately $1 bilion.

August 2014: Volcanic eruption of Icelandic volcano of Bardarbunga begun in August 29th, following a two-day period of incessant earthquakes. The lava field spread out to an area of more than 72 square kilometers, an area slightly smaller than Manhattan.  

September 2014: Japan's second highest volcano, Ontake gave no signs of activity before its major eruption on September 27th. According to Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency, in total 57 people lost their lives, with rescue efforts being obstructed by Typhoon Phanfone.  

November 2014: The eruption of Fogo volcano in Cape Verde, the most active volcano in the archipelago, became the largest ever recoreded since 1951, destroying villages farming land and vineyards.

December 2014: The severely harmed by volcanic activity country of Indonesia, was once more tested by heavy landslides occurring in the village of Jemblung. Local infrastructure along with residential areas were destroyed, with 95 confirmed deaths.

Throughout 2014: The state of Oclahoma, was hit by low-magnitude earthuquakes throughout 2014. Earthquakes turned out to be more frequent than tornadoes, which are frequently encountered in that part of the U.S. In 2011, studies have connected earthquake occurrence with hydraulic fracturing, a method frequently used in the U.S. for the exctraction of natural gas.