Why The Earth Quakes: The Story Of Earthquakes And Volcanoes [Paperback]

Levy Matthys (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 1997

Aimed at the seismology enthusiast, this book takes the reader on a journey from the Earth's beginnings to recent developments in seismic technology. It explores the nature of earthquakes and volcanoes, the prediction of their behaviour, and protective measures against them.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. (February 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393315274
• ISBN-13: 978-0393315271
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,839,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)