Shaking, quaking, screaming: The earth does some pretty strange things in the midst of a disaster.
Visitors to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science may find themselves doing the same while touring “Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters,” the museum’s newest temporary exhibit.
Opening today, “Nature Unleashed” explores four of Earth’s biggest catastrophes — hurricanes, volcanoes, tornadoes and earthquakes — and the impact they have on civilization.
Created by the Field Museum in Chicago, the exhibit uses video, photography, computer imaging and simple, touchable tools to vividly discuss how and why these events occur.
It’s not meant to be scary, but some of the footage is intense.
“All ages will enjoy it,” says Lisa Decker, the museum’s manager of temporary exhibitions. “They did a good job taking complex science ideas and making them accessible.”
One of the centerpieces of the exhibit is in the tornado section, where a small, round theater plays footage from a direct tornado strike.
Colorado storm researcher Tim Samaras captured the rare video in Iowa with a durable, camera-loaded probe. It shows the tornado’s approach, hit and aftermath in 360 degrees.
It’s loud, a little terrifying — and pretty cool.
“The footage and photography make it real for people who haven’t been through it,” says the museum’s Laura Holtman.
Each section of “Nature Unleashed” is anchored by the human story of these disasters. For instance, the hurricane portion includes artifacts, photos and video from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
There’s a Colorado-centric area, too, but David H. Grinspoon, the museum’s curator of astrobiology and curator of “Nature Unleashed” there, stresses that the exhibit’s purpose isn’t to sow fear.
“The exhibit is not just about death and destruction, but how these events renew the earth and bring new life,” says Grinspoon. “These things are necessary for life on the planet.”
“All of this is natural,” Decker says. “The disaster is when people find themselves in the way.”
“Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters”
Science exhibit. Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd. Today through May 3. Museum hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7 days a week. $11 for adults and $6 for kids ages 3 to 18, students with ID and seniors age 65 and older. For more information, call 303-322-7009 or visit .
