This how-to manual for life in earthquake country describes California's violent geologic past and recounts the state's revolutionary efforts to grapple with the earthquake threat. It examines major faults that threaten California and Nevada, reviews the current level of earthquake preparedness and disaster response, and suggests actions that citizens can take to protect their families and homes. Topics discussed include earthquake forecasting, catastrophe insurance, and tsunamis. Yeats is professor emeritus in the geosciences department at Oregon State University. c. Book News Inc.
This book addresses earthquakes, with a special focus on the Ghorka earthquake, which struck parts of central Nepal in April 2015. Drawing on this disastrous event, it closely examines various aspects of earthquakes in contributions prepared by international experts. The topics covered include: the geological and geophysical background of seismicity; a detailed inventory of the damage done by the earthquake; effective damage prevention through earthquake-safe buildings and settlements; restoration options for world-heritage buildings; strategies for providing technical and medical relief and, lastly, questions associated with public life and economy in a high-risk seismic zone. Combining perspectives from various fields, the book presents the state of the art in all earthquake-related fields and outlines future approaches to risk identification, damage prevention, and disaster management in all parts of society, administration, and politics in Nepal. Beyond the specific disaster in Nepal, the findings presented here will have broader implications for how societies can best deal with disasters.
The destructive force of earthquakes has stimulated human inquiry since ancient times, yet the scientific study of earthquakes is a surprisingly recent endeavor. Instrumental recordings of earthquakes were not made until the second half of the 19th century, and the primary mechanism for generating seismic waves was not identified until the beginning of the 20th century. From this recent start, a range of laboratory, field, and theoretical investigations have developed into a vigorous new discipline: the science of earthquakes. As a basic science, it provides a comprehensive understanding of earthquake behavior and related phenomena in the Earth and other terrestrial planets. As an applied science, it provides a knowledge base of great practical value for a global society whose infrastructure is built on the Earth's active crust. This book describes the growth and origins of earthquake science and identifies research and data collection efforts that will strengthen the scientific and social contributions of this exciting new discipline.
The United States will certainly be subject to damaging earthquakes in the future. Some of these earthquakes will occur in highly populated and vulnerable areas. Coping with moderate earthquakes is not a reliable indicator of preparedness for a major earthquake in a populated area. The recent, disastrous, magnitude-9 earthquake that struck northern Japan demonstrates the threat that earthquakes pose. Moreover, the cascading nature of impacts-the earthquake causing a tsunami, cutting electrical power supplies, and stopping the pumps needed to cool nuclear reactors-demonstrates the potential complexity of an earthquake disaster. Such compound disasters can strike any earthquake-prone populated area. National Earthquake Resilience presents a roadmap for increasing our national resilience to earthquakes. The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) is the multi-agency program mandated by Congress to undertake activities to reduce the effects of future earthquakes in the United States. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-the lead NEHRP agency-commissioned the National Research Council (NRC) to develop a roadmap for earthquake hazard and risk reduction in the United States that would be based on the goals and objectives for achieving national earthquake resilience described in the 2008 NEHRP Strategic Plan. National Earthquake Resilience does this by assessing the activities and costs that would be required for the nation to achieve earthquake resilience in 20 years. National Earthquake Resilience interprets resilience broadly to incorporate engineering/science (physical), social/economic (behavioral), and institutional (governing) dimensions. Resilience encompasses both pre-disaster preparedness activities and post-disaster response. In combination, these will enhance the robustness of communities in all earthquake-vulnerable regions of our nation so that they can function adequately following damaging earthquakes. While National Earthquake Resilience is written primarily for the NEHRP, it also speaks to a broader audience of policy makers, earth scientists, and emergency managers.
Scientific reportage on what we know and don’t know about the mega-earthquake predicted to hit the Pacific Northwest Scientists have identified Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver as the urban centers of what will be the biggest earthquake—the Really Big One—in the continental United States. A quake will happen—in fact, it’s actually overdue. The Cascadia subduction zone is 750 miles long, running along the Pacific coast from Northern California up to southern British Columbia. In this fascinating book, The Seattle Times science reporter Sandi Doughton introduces readers to the scientists who are dedicated to understanding the way the earth moves and describes what patterns can be identified and how prepared (or not) people are. With a 100% chance of a mega-quake hitting the Pacific Northwest, this fascinating book reports on the scientists who are trying to understand when, where, and just how big The Big One will be.
The extraordinary story of New Zealand's earthquakes, the science and forces that shape them, and the danger of earthquakes yet to hit. This is the story of New Zealand's turbulent tectonics, how earthquakes are measured and described, and how scientists are predicting future shakes across New Zealand. It features some of New Zealand's lesser-known quakes, such as the most powerful quake ever recorded in New Zealand, quakes that have had deadly consequences, and the most recent tremors effecting Wellington and Marlborough. On Shaking Ground has an accessible text with in-depth science. It explains why New Zealand is effected by earthquakes and how damage is caused, with accompanying diagrams and data from GNS Science. It also includes the long history of New Zealand's earthquakes with gripping photographs and personal accounts. The must-have guide for anyone affected by earthquakes in New Zealand, those curious to know what's next in-store, or anyone studying the evolving science behind them.
New England and nearby areas in the United States and Canada have a long and storied history of earthquakes that goes back to the times of the earliest exploration and settlement of the region by Europeans. This may come as a surprise to the many people living in the region today who have never felt a local earthquake. Nevertheless, not only is it true, but there is every reason to believe that earthquakes, including some damaging earthquakes, will strike New England in the future. In fact, in the 1960s Boston, Massachusetts was given the same seismic hazard rating as Los Angeles, California because both had experienced strong earthquakes in their historic pasts. Since then seismologists have learned much about the rates at which earthquakes occur throughout the country and about the effects of the earthquakes when they occur. Today, we know that the probability of damaging earthquake shaking in Boston is about twenty-five times less than in Los Angeles. Even so, the threat of earthquakes in Boston, throughout New England, and in adjacent regions is one that cannot be ignored. From the 1638 so-called “Pilgrim’s Earthquake” to anticipating what the future may hold, John E. Ebel introduces you to the surprising history of earthquakes in the northeast corridor.
"This volume brings together a sampling of research addressing issues of continental intraplate earthquakes, including a core of papers from special sessions held at the spring 2004 Joint Assembly of the American and Canadian Geophysical Unions in Montreal. Papers address the broad related topics of the science, hazard, and policy issues of large continental intraplate earthquakes in a worldwide context. One group of papers addresses aspects of the primary scientific issue--where are these earthquakes and what causes them? Answering this question is crucial to determining whether they will continue there or migrate elsewhere. A second group of papers addresses the challenge of assessing the hazard posed by intraplate earthquakes. Although it may be a very long time before the scientific issues are resolved, the progress being made is helping attempts to estimate the probability, size, and shaking of future earthquakes, and the uncertainty of the results. A third group of papers explores the question of how society should mitigate the possible effects of future large continental intraplate earthquakes. Communities around the world face the challenge of deciding how to address this rare, but real, hazard, given the wide range of other societal needs. Continental intraplate earthquakes will remain a challenge to seismologists, earthquake engineers, policy makers, and the public for years to come, but significant progress toward understanding and addressing this challenge is now being made."--Publisher's website.
The Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco area on October 17, 1989, causing 63 deaths and $10 billion worth of damage. This book reviews existing research on the Loma Prieta quake and draws from it practical lessons that could be applied to other earthquake-prone areas of the country. The volume contains seven keynote papers presented at a symposium on the earthquake and includes an overview written by the committee offering recommendations to improve seismic safety and earthquake awareness in parts of the country susceptible to earthquakes.
