Book Description

Anyone who has ever thought that volcanoes and volcanism were restricted to the planet Earth should open any page of this book to discover that some of the most spectacular explosions in the Solar System are not occurring close to home.Charles Frankel provides a detailed tour that describes such volcanic landmarks as the Moon's Aristarchus plateau, Mars' tallest volcano Olympus Mons, the double-cratered Sapas Mons on Venus, and the churning lava lake of Io's Pele caldera. Illustrated with the most recent imagery from spacecraft, his volume introduces the reader to the wonders and excitement of space exploration. Charles Frankel has written on various topics in the earth sciences, including the following two of his many books: Volcanoes of the Solar System (Cambridge, 1996) and The End of Dinosaurs (Cambridge, 1999). ... Read more

Book Description

One of nature's most awesome phenomena, volcanoes are endlessly fascinating. Now you don't have to be a scientist to understand the different types of volcanoes. Teach Yourself Volcanoes explains why eruptions occur, how volcanoes are monitored, how eruptions are predicted, and more. Includes suggested destinations for viewing real-life volcanic activity.

Reviews (1)

The best volcano book for the layman, bar none
A good many folks have a passing interest in volcanoes, especially when a mountain like Kilauea or St. Helens erupts. Yet, most books on the subject are either very dry and technical, or, equally bad, overly concern themselves with the human details of a particular event, leaving the science of the thing as an abandoned stepchild. This excellent book suffers neither fault.

Simply put, if you want to learn the whys and wherefores of this most spectacular natural process, this is your book. The reading style is effortless, and not beyond the comprehension of anyone with a high school background in the sciences. The illustrations and diagrams are carefully chosen to clarify or expand upon points in the text. While reciting the individual and societal effects of volcanic activity, the book does not get bogged down in a welter of minutiae, and holds the reader's interest to the end.

The author has made every attempt to bring the text up to the state of the art in terms of scientific advances, and the reader benefits. Such concepts as plate tectonics, hot spots, and the like are well explained. Finally, for readers who live in the Western U.S., or anticipate travelling there, the book explains and illustrates a number of landforms that might elude one's attention, but for reading this fine work.

Upon concluding the book, the reader will have an understanding of volcanism, its landforms, and its effects on people superior to anyone, save a full-time geologist. I enthusiastically recommend it to all readers. ... Read more

Book Description

Written for readers with a general science background of earthquakes, this book focuses on the geological causes and effects of this geological phenomenon, based largely on field studies of occurrences worldwide. Introductory chapters provide background information on earthquake environment, including strike-slip, normal, and reverse faults, and the earthquake geology of subduction zones. Also described are the surface effects of earthquake shaking and the application of earthquake geology to earthquake hazard evaluation and planning. Numerous photographs and illustrations help illustrate the concepts discussed throughout the book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Recommended by Cool Trails
A great way to understand the wierd geology you see when hiking and driving through southern Washington. Covers volcanic geology from the Mt. St. Helens area south to the Oregon border. ... Read more

Book Description

Since the publication of the successful first edition of Earthquake Protection there have been 110 lethal earthquakes, killing 130 000 people; there have also been significant developments in the field of earthquake risk management, particularly in the modelling and analysis of risk for insurance and financial services. Furthermore, major earthquake disasters, such as the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California, the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan and the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake in Turkey have occurred. The experience and knowledge gained through these events have improved our understanding of how to manage, mitigate and work towards the prevention of similar catastrophes. The 1990s were in fact the costliest decade on record in terms of disaster management due to such seismic events, placing unprecedented pressure on the insurance industry in particular, and changing its view of earthquake protection.

Significantly revised and updated, this second edition continues to provide a comprehensive overview of how to reduce the impact of earthquakes on people and property, and implement best practice in managing the consequences of such disasters. It also includes significant coverage of the techniques of modelling earthquake catastrophe. Each chapter deals with a separate aspect of protection, and covers a wide range of economic and social conditions, drawing on the authors' considerable personal experience and with reference to real life examples.

Key features include:

• Recent event coverage

• Modern developments in the theory and practice of planning and engineering loss estimation techniques, along with new engineering techniques such as microzonation and hazard-mapping

• Historic buildings experience

• An entirely new chapter on 'Earthquakes and Finance'

Reviews (1)

Great book, bad price
Not too much to say, except that the book is very much overpriced. The book is probably worth a third of what it's selling for. If the price were lower, this book would definitely be on my bookshelf! ... Read more

Book Description

Volcanoes of North America capitalises on the vast body of volcano literature now available to present, in a single source, detailed information about volcanoes found in North America. It contains brief accounts, written by leading experts in volcanology, of over 250 volcanoes and volcanic fields formed during the last 5 million years. The volcanoes of the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada are described. The precise location of each volcano is given, and the volcano is classified by type. Information about composition and eruptive history is also included. Each narrative description is accompanied by a photograph, a map of each location, and an extremely helpful statement on how to reach each volcano. The entries are mostly written at a level understandable by lay readers, but technical terms are also used and a background in geology is advantageous. Volcanoes of North America will be a standard reference work for practising volcanologists, petrologists, and geochemists, and to some extent, geographers. In addition, the maps and the 'How to get there' sections make this a highly valuable book for anyone interested in natural history or fascinated by volcanoes. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Review of Volcanoes in North America
The book is well written and informative: I reccomend it! It;s absolutely super!

An excellent guide for the initiated
This is no book for someone not previously familiar with volcano technology. That much aside, the book is an absolute gem for anyone planning a trip to the Cascade Range, California, or other volcanic area of the continental USA or Canada. A must-have for anyone geeked on volcanoes. ... Read more

Book Description

This book deals with the application of fractal and nonlinear time-series analysis to seismicity and earthquakes within the framework of earthquake prediction research. Emphasis is on theoretical foundations as well as practical implementation and pitfalls to enable readers to conduct their own analyses. The theoretical parts include introductions to fractals and multifractals, the relation between fractal dimension and entropy, the Hurst phenomenon, basic ideas of low-dimensional chaotic dynamics and a roadmap of nonlinear time-series analysis. Practical implementation is discussed in each case and synthetic data sets are analyzed. Fractal methods are applied to landslide and seismicity patterns in space and time, nonlinear analysis is carried out for radon and strain data as well as earthquake intervals. Due to the comprehensive coverage of theoretical background and step-by-step applications, readers of all levels will benefit from this book. ... Read more

Book Description

This volume presents different studies carried out on induced seismicity, both from experimental and theoretical viewpoints. Several examples of seismic activity induced by underground nuclear explosions, impoundment of artificial reservoirs, and mining activities are given and discussed. Another important subject which is covered is earthquakes induced by other large earthquakes. Further, tectonic stress release in the immediate vicinity of an underground nuclear explosion is treated. The release produces aftershocks of small magnitude, usually for several weeks, occurring a few kilometers within the shot point. This phenomenon is of importance in the context of monitoring a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. ... Read more

Book Description

The outside world scarcely knew of northwestern North America in the year 1700. The Pacific coast, from southcentral Alaska to Oregon's Cape Blanco, was uncharted until the Spanish and English explorations of the 1770s. Yet, when tectonic plates suddenly shifted there in 1700, a train of ocean waves -- a tsunami -- that sped across the Pacific Ocean. When the waves came ashore in Japan, they flooded fields and washed away houses. Samurai, merchants, and villagers recorded the mysterious event, but they observed no storm and felt no parent earthquake. In Japan, this tsunami was an orphan.

The Orphan Tsunami of 1700 tells this transpacific detective story by presenting its primary sources, Japanese documents and North American sediments and tree rings. They tell of a catastrophe a century before Lewis and Clark's expedition that now guides preparations for future earthquakes and tsunamis in the North Pacific.

A rich array of graphic detail and narrative explains the creation, action, and lasting effects of earthquakes and tsunamis. ... Read more