The cataclysm is the Greek expression for the Deluge, from the Greek kataklysmos, to 'wash down' ('kluzein' wash - 'kata' down'). Erudite Bible studies drew it into the English language in 1633 and it has also been used to describe biblical events such as the Flood of Noah, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and The tenth plague of Egypt. The modern usage of cataclysm is mostly confined to geological phenomena of high significance such as the destruction of Pompeii, the Tunguska event, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake or the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collision with Jupiter.
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