The Geology of Earthquakes

The Geology of Earthquakes

Author: ROBERT S AUTOR YEATS

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 568

ISBN-13: 9780195078275

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These serve as a common interdisciplinary background for the second half of the text, which divides the discussion of earthquakes according to tectonic environment: strike-slip, divergent, and convergent.


Plate Tectonics and Great Earthquakes

Plate Tectonics and Great Earthquakes

Author: Lynn R. Sykes

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2019-06-04

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 0231546874

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The theory of plate tectonics transformed earth science. The hypothesis that the earth’s outermost layers consist of mostly rigid plates that move over an inner surface helped describe the growth of new seafloor, confirm continental drift, and explain why earthquakes and volcanoes occur in some places and not others. Lynn R. Sykes played a key role in the birth of plate tectonics, conducting revelatory research on earthquakes. In this book, he gives an invaluable insider’s perspective on the theory’s development and its implications. Sykes combines lucid explanation of how plate tectonics revolutionized geology with unparalleled personal reflections. He entered the field when it was on the cusp of radical discoveries. Studying the distribution and mechanisms of earthquakes, Sykes pioneered the identification of seismic gaps—regions that have not ruptured in great earthquakes for a long time—and methods to estimate the possibility of quake recurrence. He recounts the various phases of his career, including his antinuclear activism, and the stories of colleagues around the world who took part in changing the paradigm. Sykes delves into the controversies over earthquake prediction and their importance, especially in the wake of the giant 2011 Japanese earthquake and the accompanying Fukushima disaster. He highlights geology’s lessons for nuclear safety, explaining why historic earthquake patterns are crucial to understanding the risks to power plants. Plate Tectonics and Great Earthquakes is the story of a scientist witnessing a revolution and playing an essential role in making it.


Earthshaking Science

Earthshaking Science

Author: Susan Elizabeth Hough

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2018-06-05

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0691186871

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This is the first book to really make sense of the dizzying array of information that has emerged in recent decades about earthquakes. Susan Hough, a research seismologist in one of North America's most active earthquake zones and an expert at communicating this complex science to the public, separates fact from fiction. She fills in many of the blanks that remained after plate tectonics theory, in the 1960s, first gave us a rough idea of just what earthquakes are about. How do earthquakes start? How do they stop? Do earthquakes occur at regular intervals on faults? If not, why not? Are earthquakes predictable? How hard will the ground shake following an earthquake of a given magnitude? How does one quantify future seismic hazard? As Hough recounts in brisk, jargon-free prose, improvements in earthquake recording capability in the 1960s and 1970s set the stage for a period of rapid development in earthquake science. Although some formidable enigmas have remained, much has been learned on critical issues such as earthquake prediction, seismic hazard assessment, and ground motion prediction. This book addresses those issues. Because earthquake science is so new, it has rarely been presented outside of technical journals that are all but opaque to nonspecialists. Earthshaking Science changes all this. It tackles the issues at the forefront of modern seismology in a way most readers can understand. In it, an expert conveys not only the facts, but the passion and excitement associated with research at the frontiers of this fascinating field. Hough proves, beyond a doubt, that this passion and excitement is more accessible than one might think.


Volcanoes in Human History

Volcanoes in Human History

Author: Jelle Zeilinga de Boer

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2012-01-02

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 1400842859

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When the volcano Tambora erupted in Indonesia in 1815, as many as 100,000 people perished as a result of the blast and an ensuing famine caused by the destruction of rice fields on Sumbawa and neighboring islands. Gases and dust particles ejected into the atmosphere changed weather patterns around the world, resulting in the infamous ''year without a summer'' in North America, food riots in Europe, and a widespread cholera epidemic. And the gloomy weather inspired Mary Shelley to write the gothic novel Frankenstein. This book tells the story of nine such epic volcanic events, explaining the related geology for the general reader and exploring the myriad ways in which the earth's volcanism has affected human history. Zeilinga de Boer and Sanders describe in depth how volcanic activity has had long-lasting effects on societies, cultures, and the environment. After introducing the origins and mechanisms of volcanism, the authors draw on ancient as well as modern accounts--from folklore to poetry and from philosophy to literature. Beginning with the Bronze Age eruption that caused the demise of Minoan Crete, the book tells the human and geological stories of eruptions of such volcanoes as Vesuvius, Krakatau, Mount Pelée, and Tristan da Cunha. Along the way, it shows how volcanism shaped religion in Hawaii, permeated Icelandic mythology and literature, caused widespread population migrations, and spurred scientific discovery. From the prodigious eruption of Thera more than 3,600 years ago to the relative burp of Mount St. Helens in 1980, the results of volcanism attest to the enduring connections between geology and human destiny. Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.


Earthquakes

Earthquakes

Author: Seymour Simon

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2011-11-15

Total Pages: 32

ISBN-13: 0062121162

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Join award-winning science writer Seymour Simon in this picture book introduction to earthquakes! In Earthquakes, Simon introduces elementary-school readers to earthquakes through engaging descriptions and stunning full-color photographs. He teaches readers why and how earthquakes happen and the damage they can cause through pictures, diagrams, and maps. He also gives real-life examples of earthquakes that have occurred all over the world. With clear, simple text and stunning full-color photographs, readers will learn all about the fascinating phenomenon that is an earthquake in this informative picture book. Perfect for young scientists’ school reports, this book supports the Common Core State Standards and includes a glossary and index. Check out these other Seymour Simon books about natural disasters and weather: Global Warming Hurricanes Lightning Storms Tornadoes Weather Wildfires


Fault Lines

Fault Lines

Author: Giacomo Parrinello

Publisher: Berghahn Books

Published: 2015-05-01

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1782389512

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Earth’s fractured geology is visible in its fault lines. It is along these lines that earthquakes occur, sometimes with disastrous effects. These disturbances can significantly influence urban development, as seen in the aftermath of two earthquakes in Messina, Italy, in 1908 and in the Belice Valley, Sicily, in 1968. Following the history of these places before and after their destruction, this book explores plans and developments that preceded the disasters and the urbanism that emerged from the ruins. These stories explore fault lines between “rural” and “urban,” “backwardness” and “development,” and “before” and “after,” shedding light on the role of environmental forces in the history of human habitats.


New England Earthquakes

New England Earthquakes

Author: John E. Ebel

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-03-01

Total Pages: 305

ISBN-13: 1493031872

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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.


Danger! Earthquakes

Danger! Earthquakes

Author: Seymour Simon

Publisher: StarWalk Kids Media

Published: 2012-10-01

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 162334204X

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Earthquakes can destroy whole cities and towns and kill thousands of people. This SeeMore Reader covers the causes of earthquakes, the places they usually occur, and what to do if one strikes .Newly updated in 2012 to include both the 2004 Indonesian quake and 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami.


Thinking on Earthquakes in Early Modern Europe

Thinking on Earthquakes in Early Modern Europe

Author: Rienk Vermij

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-11-16

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1000258734

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This book is the first extensive study of ideas on earthquakes before the Lisbon earthquake in 1755. The earthquake had a deep impact on European culture, and the reactions to it stood in a long tradition that, before this study, had yet to be explored in detail. Thinking on Earthquakes investigates both scholarly theories and views that were propagated among the early modern European population. Through a chronological approach, Vermij reveals that in contrast to the Ancient and medieval philosophers who suggested rational explanations for earthquakes, supernatural ideas made a powerful comeback in the sixteenth century. By analysing a variety of sources such as pamphlets, sermons, and treatises, this study shows how changes in the ideas on earthquakes were a result of social and political demands as well as from improvements in the means of communication, rather than from scientific methods. Thus, Vermij presents an illuminating case for the production of knowledge in early modern Europe. A range of events are explored, including the Ferrara earthquake in 1570 and the Vienna earthquake in 1590, making this study an invaluable source for students and scholars of the history of science and the history of ideas in early modern Europe.