The Earth in Turmoil: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Their Impact on Humankind [Paperback]

Kerry Sieh (Author), Sifu Simon LeVay (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0716736519 | ISBN-13: 978-0716736516 | Publication Date: September 15, 1999 | Edition: 1st

The Earth in Turmoil is the account of what we now know about volcanoes and earthquakes. Exploring natural hazards in the U.S. region by region, it combines lively accounts of past disasters with expert predictions for the future, including a final chapter on how people can mitigate the damaging effects of earthquakes and volcanoes through individual and collective action. A blend of human interest and authoritative science, The Earth in Turmoil is a view into the most powerful forces nature can unleash.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A million and a half people have died in the last century as a result of geological cataclysms--a small number compared to those who have died in storms, floods, or wars, to be sure, but still enough to give us a reasonable fear of the planet's unpredictable motions. In this handy primer, Sieh and Levay explore the scientific issues surrounding such matters as making buildings and roadways earthquake-tolerant, noting that the behavior of seismic energy cannot be reliably forecast "because the rupture is not a small focus of energy like a light bulb but an event that propagates across a large surface over an appreciable period of time." They also note that plenty of places besides California and Japan are due for quakes and volcanoes in the near future. --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Richly researched and well-written...a wonderfully informative primer on two of the planet's more astounding geological forces."--San Diego Union-Tribune

"[Sieh and LeVay] skillfully incorporate human interest anecdotes and the latest scientific theories about volcanoes and earthquakes to describe past disasters and formulate predictions for the future."-Library Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman; 1st edition (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716736519
• ISBN-13: 978-0716736516
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,385,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book with Strong Focus on Southern California, April 22, 2002

By 

Mark K. Mcdonough "Mark McDonough" (Reston, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Earth in Turmoil: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Their Impact on Humankind (Paperback)

One of the things that makes this book stand out is that its geology is up-to-date and detailed. I was a geology major back in the late 70s and while I decided not to go on in the field, I've kept up reasonably well. I learned a great deal of new info from this book, including the only coherent explanation I've ever read of the "hot spots" responsible for volcanoes like those in Hawaii.

The basic format of the book is of a west-to-east journey through the U.S., although Southern California (where co-author Sieh lives and works) gets by far the most detailed coverage. We get some vivid anecdotal accounts of earthquakes and eruptions, but the overall focus is more "what we think we know and why we think we know it." As another reviewer said, you must be interested enough in the subject to follow some reasonably complex logical arguments.

The color photos in the book are a valuable addition -- among other things, they made me realize that the oddly ramp-like block just south of Sunset Boulevard in LA is actually the scarp of the fault that has raised the Hollywood Hills.

The writing style is clear and approachable. All in all a very enjoyable read for folks with a serious interest in Earth Science.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent survey of volcanic & seismic hazards in the US, March 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Earth in Turmoil: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Their Impact on Humankind (Hardcover)

This book looks at ten or so regions in the USA that suffer major earthquake and seismic hazards in a very readable fashion. Some of these are the familar ones in the news such as Mt. St. Helens and California, Others are not so well known like New York City and Tennesee, because they haven't been active in a while, but could potentially be as deadly.

It is written in a Scientific America-like journalistic style: a readable introduction for high school students as well as meaty detail for a seasoned geologist. It contains a number of up-to-date maps and photgraphs illustrating the destruction and how the geology works. It conveniently assembles into a single volume a number of case histories previously scattered among different scientific journals, government reports and popular science articles. It crosses the sub-fields of geology, seismology, volcanology and civil engineering- topics often seperated in other works.

The main author, Sieh, is a CalTech geologist who is one of the leading figures in geological seismology, and studied several of the areas described in the book. Geological seismology looks at disturbed soil layers, rocks, and old trees to estimate seismic activity over the past several thousand years, before there were seismic instruments. The second author, LeVay, is a former LaJolla neuroscientist and presently a science journalist. He probably contributed heavily to making the volume readable. Some of the chapters are personal reports of scientific investigations in manner of Sullivan or McPhee.

The book is not intended to be comprehensive textbook of geology, seismology, volcanology, etc., although there are introductions to such woven into the text and appendices. Also the book doesn't cover every major hazardous area in the US, but many of the significant ones, and ignores the rest of the world.

I recommend the book as enjoyable science reading with deep details even geologists would learn from. I will use this book as a reference when talking about seismic hazards in the future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent work for the layman, September 7, 2002

By 

Jerald R Lovell (Clinton Township, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Earth in Turmoil: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Their Impact on Humankind (Paperback)

This is a book about geological hazards in the United States. The general focus is on the West Coast, if only because that is the most tectoncally active area. Some color plates, and a few black and white photos, are included, but the primary emphasis is on a well-written text. The book is highly readable and keeps one's attention throughout.

The authors begin their examination with a review of the Northwest, discussing both volcanic hazards and the lesser known, recently discovered, but far more dangerous hazard of a truly giant earthquake in that region. Every citizen of that part of the United States should carefully peruse this section.

Attention then turns to California and the San Andreas Fault. Author Sieh is a renowned expert on this transform fault, and thoroughly discusses the extensive research he and others have done on this peril. Again, as with the Northwest, this section is very highly recommended.

The earthquake hazards of the Great Basin and the volcanic hazards of Yellowstone are examined in detail, as are mid-continent earthquake problems in the central Mississippi valley. The book also looks at potential East Coast earthquake and tsunami hazards.

The authors use particular care in explaining geologic termnology in an understandable manner, and this is rare and impressive. Many books of this genre are deficient in that they either oversimplify the material at hand, leading to inaccuracies and potentially dangerous distortions, or by making geology appear so difficult that the reader with a non-scientific background becomes frustrated. The authors have carefully avoided either pitfall, and the book has profited though such care.

If you live in the United States, you should own and read this book. It may save your investments. or your life.