End of the World !!

Places Where the World Ended

Jess Baker & Nick Wiltgen Published: Dec 19, 2012, 8:48 AM EST weather.com

As Friday, December 21, 2012 nears, Doomsday coverage reaches a fever pitch.

Even though NASA is doing its best to assure you the world won't end Friday, history is filled with stories of lost cities and ghost towns.  People's lives and city landscapes have been changed forever.

Let's take a walk through time and look at a few of the places where the world has ended, in a matter of speaking. We begin way back in history with a volcano…

      Picher once was a thriving mining town, but in 1996 the EPA declared it uninhabitable. In May 2008, an EF4 tornado put a final nail in the coffin, damaging many of the homes and buildings that were still standing. The town ceased all official business by September 2009.

Pompeii - 79 AD

Pompeii was a thriving Roman city before Mount Vesuvius erupted, and eventually buried Pompeii - along with the people, structures, and culture within it. The city was re-discovered in the mid-18th century, and now attracts 2.5 million visitors each year.

Chernobyl, Ukraine - April 26, 1986

Chernobyl is still considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. The official Soviet death count is 31, but the long-term effects, such as cancers and deformities, are still being studied.

Getty Images

Centralia, Pennsylvania

An underground mine fire started emitting poisonous gas in 1962 - and it's still burning. The state claimed eminent domain and took over all the properties by the early-90s. Less than a dozen people call it home today

Getty Images

Natori, Japan - March 2011

The Great East Japan Earthquake changed life in the city forever. People here had 30 minutes to leave between the quake and the tsunami. Officials say it's hard to know how many people here died.