Product Description

This is a concise overview of the history of earthquakes and seismology, including topics such as geologic faults, intensity patterns, plate tectonics, side effects of earthquakes (such as tsunamis) , and protection of people and property. The book contains descriptions of the 1995 Sakhalin and 1997 Assisi earthquakes, and others such as Northridge, California (1994) , Kobe, Japan (1995) , Chi Chi, Taiwan (1999) and Denali, Alaska (2003) . The sequence of chapters has been re-organized for the fifth edition to better facilitate learning the broad concepts before the detail. New exercises and web references have also been added to give students the opportunity to think and use data the way field seismologists do.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1061007 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Ingram
A fact-, action-, and image-packed introductory overview of the force of nature that shakes our very foundations. This fourth edition features descriptions of recent earthquakes in Northridge, California (1994) and Kobe, Japan (1995). 130 illustrations.

Customer Reviews

Good update, but illustrations are better in 3rd ed.
Well, the title says it -- I'm keeping my copy of the 3rd edition because the illos in the latest edition look soft and disturbingly unsharp. Maybe the publisher, having lost the original artwork for the 3rd edition, simply scanned a copy. Or maybe the quality got skimped when the work was made all-electronic. I don't know.

In any case, the content is fine.

Recommended: A very good book on Earthquakes.
This book provides a very good coverage on Earthquakes, from how and why they happen to their effects and safety concerns. You can learn about faults, plates, how earthquakes are sized, how much can be forecasted, how structures are affected, ground acceleration, soil conditions, etc. Though there are numerous examples from California, this is not one of those books which try to provide earthquake checklists to Californians. The level of technicality is one reason I recommend the book. You don't have to be a seismologist to understand the book, but you won't get bored if you are technically oriented. You will get a quantitative feel of concepts in addition to the clear explanations.