Why the Earth Quakes: The Story of Earthquakes and Volcanoes [Paperback]

Matthys Levy (Author), Mario Salvadori (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1995 | ISBN-10: 0393037746 | ISBN-13: 978-0393037746 | Edition: 1st

This work provides an account of the history - ranging from the Earth's beginnings to recent developments in seismic technology - of the understanding of earthquakes. It explores the nature of earthquakes and volcanoes, the prediction of their behaviour and an up-to-date description of the measures that can taken to provide protection from them. The stories of some of the worst natural disasters are described, including Lisbon, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Alaska, Vesuvius, Krakatau, Mount St Helens and Kobe.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Structural engineers Levy and Salvadori (Why Buildings Fall Down, LJ 5/1/92) use examples from history to explore how human-made structures fare in the wake of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The authors briefly explain the nature of the earth, then discuss modern engineering solutions for keeping buildings upright during earthquakes. The book's strengths include explanations of how past earthquakes and volcanic eruptions affected human habitations, Michael Lilly's generally clear illustrations and the glossary, which supplements explanations in the text. An index (not seen) should facilitate access. Additional maps and fuller explanations of figures in captions would have made the content easier to follow. In spite of some moralistic segments and the final chapter on the "Big Bang," which seems out of place, the book provides an intriguing look at historical cataclysms along with their causes, their effects, and possible safeguards against them. Recommended for general science collections.?Jeanne Davidson, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Part roll call of cataclysms, part building engineering, this short guide is animated by a simple human concern: saving lives. As the best defense is an intelligently built structure, the authors describe (nontechnically) strategies for absorbing shock waves, trends in retrofitting, and the causes of particular failures. (Failure is a forte of these authors of Why Buildings Fall Down, 1992.) In the narrative department, Levy and Salvadori examine famous instances of exploding volcanoes and devastating earthquakes, reliably giving the figures on casualties and Richter magnitudes and leavening the grimness with notes about why, for example, a Frank Lloyd Wright hotel withstood the 1923 Tokyo earthquake. Line drawings (but no photographs) visualize the scenes, and one practical section delivers Q & A's about survival tips for quaky areas of the United States. But what were the authors thinking of in adding a nongermane and simplistic chapter on cosmology? One blemish doesn't negate the whole intent, however, which is to bring the basics of tectonics to the curious. Gilbert Taylor

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 1st edition (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393037746
• ISBN-13: 978-0393037746
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,995,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)