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Natural Disasters: Earthquakes

A research topic guide on natural disasters, including avalanches, earthquakes, fire, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and volcanoes.

Resources

Research & Reference

Earthquakes: The Science of Earthquakes

With teams of experts tracking them all over the world, earthquakes are one of the most heavily-monitored natural phenomenons. Despite this, in places such as Haiti, Nepal and Italy, they continue to be devastating and deadly. But what causes this destructive force of nature and can we minimize destruction? This documentary series focuses on the science behind natural catastrophes and helps audiences to understand these spectacular moments of Earth's anger.

Source: Kanopy

Perspectives

The Big One

In the early 1800s a series of gargantuan earth tremors seized the American frontier. Tremendous roars and flashes of eerie light accompanied huge spouts of water and gas. Six-foot-high waterfalls appeared in the Mississippi River, thousands of trees exploded, and some 1,500 people -- in what was then a sparsely populated wilderness -- were killed. A region the size of Texas, centered in Missouri and Arkansas, was rent apart, and the tremors reached as far as Montreal. Forget the 1906 earthquake -- this set of quakes constituted the Big One. The United States would face certain catastrophe if such quakes occurred again. Could they? The answer lies in seismology, a science that is still coming to grips with the Big One. Jake Page and Charles Officer rely on compelling historical accounts and the latest scientific findings to tell a fascinating, long-forgotten story in which the naturalist John James Audubon, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, scientists, and charlatans all play roles. Whether describing devastating earthquakes or a dire year in a young nation, The Big One offers astounding breadth and drama.

Earthquakes

The ultimate introduction to seismology, written by distinguished scholar and Professor Bruce Bolt, of the University of California, Berkeley, this newly updated edition will provide the best foundation in the field for your introductory students.

When the Earth Roars

Japan, which is among the most earthquake-prone regions in the world, has a long history of responding to seismic disasters. However, despite advances in earthquake-related safety technologies, the destructiveness of the magnitude 9 class earthquake and tsunami that struck the country on 3/11 raised profound questions about how societies can deal effectively with seismic hazards. This important book places the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown disaster in historical perspective, examining conceptions of earthquakes since the seventeenth century, the diverse ways actual earthquakes and their aftermath played out, and their enduring social and scientific significance. By looking backward, Gregory Smits identifies future pitfalls to avoid and assesses the allocation of resources for dealing with future earthquake and tsunami disasters. He criticizes Japan's postwar quest for earthquake prediction and the concept of "characteristic" earthquakes. Smits argues that earthquakes are so chaotic as to be unpredictable, not only geologically but also in their social and cultural effects. Therefore, he contends, the best hope for future disaster mitigation is antiseismic engineering and flexible disaster-relief capabilities. As the first sustained historical analysis of destructive earthquakes and tsunamis, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in Japan, natural disasters, seismology, and environmental history.

Earthquakes and Water

The broad spectrum of hydrologic responses to earthquakes offers a better understanding of the earth's hydrologic system at a scale which is otherwise unachievable; it has also allowed field testing of several long-standing hypotheses which may impact on our understanding of some earthquake-induced hazards. The book is based on a graduate course on Earthquake Hydrology at Berkeley jointly offered by the authors in the past few years. It begins with an introduction of the basic materials to form a basis for understanding the chapters which follow. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the field to interested readers and beginning researchers, and a convenient reference to numerous publications currently scattered in various journals.

Earthquake Disasters in Latin America

This book is an attempt to demonstrate the analytical power of the holistic approach for understanding disasters.   Six major earthquakes in Latin America are used as an example: the general idea is to place disasters in a broad social and regional context.  Understanding disasters is a way of understanding the social system.  The idea is to show that every major disaster is unique and different.  Statistical methods may be useful for purposes of risk estimation but modern disasters are "systemic" and complex.  In the chapter on the 2010 Chile earthquake we discuss the tsunami and why the system of tsunami alert did not work.  The introductory chapter contains some basics of seismology (plate tectonics) and earthquake engineering.  The 1985 Mexico earthquake describes why geology is important.   Why was Mexico City founded in a lake?  Technology must be adapted to the environment, not "imported" from possibly more advanced but different societies.  The 1970 Peru earthquake is an example of disaster in a unique environment.  Caracas 1967 takes us on a survey of different engineering solutions.  And the 1960 Chile earthquake leads us on a retrospective survey--what has changed in Chile between the two major Chile earthquakes?  A discussion on Charles Darwin's observations of the 1835 Chile earthquake provides a fitting summary.

Earthquakes 101 | National Geographic

 

Earthquakes are unpredictable and can strike with enough force to bring buildings down. Find out what causes earthquakes, why they're so deadly, and what's being done to help buildings sustain their hits.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7ho6z32yyo