International Handbook of Earthquake & Engineering Seismology, Part A, Volume 81A (International Geophysics) [Hardcover]

William H.K. Lee (Editor), Paul Jennings (Editor), Carl Kisslinger (Editor), Hiroo Kanamori (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0124406521 | ISBN-13: 978-0124406520 | Publication Date: September 26, 2002 | Edition: 1

Modern scientific investigations of earthquakes began in the 1880s, and the International Association of Seismology was organized in 1901 to promote collaboration of scientists and engineers in studying earthquakes. The International Handbook of Earthquake and Engineering Seismology, under the auspices of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IASPEI), was prepared by leading experts under a distinguished international advisory board and team of editors.

The content is organized into 56 chapters and includes over 430 figures, 24 of which are in color. This reference is accompanied by a CD-ROM containing historical and scientific information about earth motion, a global earthquake database, and an extensive database of seismicity.

This large-format, comprehensive reference summarizes well-established facts, reviews relevant theories, surveys useful methods and techniques, and documents and archives basic seismic data. It will be the authoritative reference for scientists and engineers and a quick and handy reference for seismologists.

Also available is The International Handbook of Earthquake and Engineering Seismology, Part B.

Two CD-ROMs containing additional material packaged with the text

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...the Handbook gives a comprehensive picture of the state of the art of seismology at the beginning of the 21st century and, undoubtedly, it will be highly appreciated by the world seismological community."
Russian Academy of Sciences, National Geophysical Committee. November 2003

"Monumental in scope, authoritative in treatment, and historic in impact, the International Handbook of Earthquake and Engineering Seismology will be the most important source book for seismology and its applications for years to come. This is one of those exceptional books that libraries and professionals from academia, industry, and government cannot do without."
-Frank Press, President Emeritus, US National Academy of Sciences

"The International Handbook of Earthquake & Engineering Seismology is an impressive and comprehensive collection of articles by leaders in their fields. It is sure to be a valuable resource for students, research workers and practitioners who need a broad, reliable and up-to-date source of information and knowledge in seismological fields.
-George W. Housner, Professor Emeritus, California Institute of Technology

"...of great interest to practicing engineers and researchers alike...a highly valuable source of helpful information for years to come in enhancing public and industrial safety worldwide."
-William J. Hall, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

"Great credit goes to the Editors for attracting...the most experienced and highly regarded experts from more than 50 countries to participate in this comprehensive and truly international work. It covers not only the history of our science, but leads to the present day frontiers of our knowledge."
-Hans Berckhemer, Past President of IASPEI, from the Foreword

"...This 'handbook' is more of an Encyclopedia of Seismology than a 'handbook' As an encyclopedia, this book covers just about any aspect of seismology one can think of, except for the applied seismology that is the forte of most SEG members. ...I highly recommend this work for those who are curious and interested in expanding their horizons."
-R.E. Sheriff, University of Houston

"a unique reference work that utilizes modern computer technology to supplement the printed information. It provides data sets (e.g. catalogs of world earthquakes) that cannot be found anywhere else...[a] magnum opus of seismology."
-Cinna Lomnitz for "Natural Hazards"

"...I can wholeheartedly recommend this volume, and in fact I already find myself frequently looking up one fact or technique or another in my daily work...a must for every Earth Science library and a worthwhile investment for every practitioner."
-Frederik Tilmann for GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE

From the Back Cover

The two volume International Handbook of Earthquake and Engineering Seismology represents the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior's (IASPEI) ambition to provide a comprehensive overview of our present knowledge of earthquakes and seismology. This state-of-the-art work is the only reference to cover all aspects of seismology - a "resource library" for civil and structural engineers, geologists, geophysicists, and seismologists in academia and industry around the globe. Furthermore, the Handbook will be an important information resource for administrators and officials responsible for developing and implementing worldwide earthquake hazard mitigation. . Part A of the Handbook, by more than 80 leading authors from major institutions of science around the world, features 56 full-length chapters detailing the history of seismology, theoretical and observational seismology, earthquake geology and mechanics, seismicity of the earth, and the Earth's structure.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1200 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1 edition (September 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0124406521
• ISBN-13: 978-0124406520
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,685,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Comprehensive Treatise on Seismology, vol 81-A, January 31, 2005

By 

Robert H. Sydnor "RHSydnor" (Fair Oaks, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: International Handbook of Earthquake & Engineering Seismology, Part A, Volume 81A (International Geophysics) (Hardcover)

International Handbook of Earthquake & Engineering Seismology, vol. 81-A

edited by William H.K. Lee, Hiroo Kanamori, Paul C. Jennings, and Carl Kisslinger, 2002,Academic Press, a division of Elsevier Science, vol. 81-A, 933 p. with 54 chapters, $150.00
one CD-ROM, with 2,000+ additional pages of text and seismology software.

Includes the following seismology chapters that will be of interest to engineering geologists in California:

Agnew, Duncan Carr, History of Seismology, Chapter 1, p. 3-11.

Housner, George W., Historical View of Earthquake Engineering, Chapter 2, p. 13-27. Professor George Housner of Caltech is considered the father of earthquake engineering, so this chapter is particularly insightful.

Aki, Keiiti, Synthesis of Earthquake Science Information and its Public Transfer: a History of the Southern California Earthquake Center, Chapter 5, p. 39-49. Professor Aki taught seismology at MIT for several decades, then moved to USC to become the Science Director of SCEC which officially began in 1991. His historical insights are particularly useful to younger geologists and seismologists in California. In 1996, Dr. Aki retired as Professor Emeritus of Seismology. The Science Director of SCEC is currently Dr. Thomas H. Jordan.

McNutt, Stephen R., Volcano Seismology and Monitoring for Eruptions, Chapter 25, p. 383-406. Professor Steve McNutt received his PhD from Lamont-Doherty at Columbia University. Steve worked for a decade at the California Geological Survey in Sacramento where he was deeply involved with monitoring of the Long Valley Caldera near Mammoth Lakes. He is now professor of seismology at the University of Alaska and monitoring active volcanoes in Alaska and elsewhere.

Satake, Kenji, Tsunamis, Chapter 28, p. 437-451. In the aftermath of the December 26, 2004 tsunami and M9 earthquake in Sumatra that killed over 213,000 people, this chapter on tsunamis has gained added relevance to engineering geologists working in the United States.

Sibson, Richard B., Geology of the Crustal Earthquake Source, Chapter 29, p. 455-473.

Grant, Lisa B., Paleoseismology, Chapter 30, p. 475-489; plus complete archive of figures as .pdf files on CD-ROM. A highly useful chapter for practicing engineering geologists by Dr. Lisa Grant, professor of geology at the University of California, Irvine. She specializes in trenching active faults in California, especially the San Andreas Fault in the Carrizo Plain.

Brune, James N., and Thatcher, Wayne, Strength and Energetics of Active Fault Zones, Chapter 35, p. 569-588.

Utsu, T., Relationships Between Magnitude Scales, Chapter 44, p. 733-746.

Toppozada, T.R., and Branum, David, California earthquakes of M'5.5' their history and the areas damaged, Chapter 48.2, p. 793-798, plus complete archive .pdf file on CD-ROM. This concise summary will be particularly useful to practicing engineering geologists in California.

Please refer to the separate book review for the companion Volume 81-B; it contains a large number of chapters of interest to engineering geologists.

Robert H. Sydnor
Engineering Geologist and Seismologist
Fair Oaks, California
LM-AEG, LM-SSA, LM-AGU, M-EERI

4.0 out of 5 stars Exactly As Advertised (Part A), May 11, 2011

By 

Amy Brown (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: International Handbook of Earthquake & Engineering Seismology, Part A, Volume 81A (International Geophysics) (Hardcover)

I've been coveting this book for a while but was put off by the price. When I stumbled on it advertised for almost half the list price in the Amazon Marketplace I was ready to purchase. I then wondered if it was too good to be true. The description was in "as new condition" but who knew what that actually meant and since this is a reference book, I didn't want coffee stains on pages. But my excitement about owning them won out and I decided to purchase the book. They arrived well before the estimated arrival date which was a nice surprise but the really big surprise was that the book was immaculate. I couldn't be more happy with my purchase. I also bought Part B which was also in excellent condition.