Act of God

An event that directly and exclusively results from the occurrence of natural causes that could not have been prevented by the exercise of foresight or caution; an inevitable accident.

Courts have recognized various events as acts of God—tornadoes, earthquakes, death, extraordinarily high tides, violent winds, and floods. Many insurance policies for property damage exclude from their protection damage caused by acts of God.

Acts of God, such as this sinkhole which destroyed homes in the San Francisco area in 1995, are sometimes excluded from insurance policies for property damage.
AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS