A somewhat formal or literary term for a natural disaster, especially one involving the earth such as an earthquake or volcanic eruption. Often used in contrast with 天変 (heavenly phenomena).
It was a year of continuous extraordinary natural phenomena and disasters.
Prepare emergency supplies in case of a natural disaster.
natural disaster; cataclysm
Standard kanji spelling for this term.
A Sino-Japanese borrowing of Chinese 地異, denoting anomalous terrestrial phenomena traditionally interpreted as portents, and later natural calamities more generally.