The Little Book of Earthquakes and Volcanoes (Little Book Series)

In this lay reader's introduction to the most spectacular and devastating of all geological events, Rolf Schick describes how earthquakes and volcanoes are related, and how they are an integral part of Earth's structure. Tracing the latest findings and theories in plate tectonics, he helps readers ask and answer the basic questions: What was it during the formation of Earth that led to these phenomena? Why do they occur in certain areas and not in others? How can we, within reason, protect ourselves from their devastation? And how far have we come, and how far can we go, in predicting when they will strike? For the reader who wants a concise and accessible guide to what makes the ground shake and explode, this is the perfect introduction.

When the ground starts shaking . . .

Whenever an earthquake makes the ground shake or a volcano spits out lava, gas, and ashes, we call it a natural disaster. But is this term truly justified? After all, it's most often collapsing man-made structures that kill people, not the ground's movement, and volcanic eruptions contribute more to maintaining life than actually destroying it.

In this lay reader's introduction to the most spectacular of all geologic events, Rolf Schick explains what moves our seemingly solid Earth. He helps us ask and answer the basic questions:

• What causes seismic events and volcanic activity, and is there a causal relationship between the two?
• Why do these phenomena tend to occur in certain areas and not in others?
• How far have we come, and how far can we go, in predicting when they will strike?
• How can we, within reason, protect ourselves from their devastation?
• Schick also introduces us to the side-effects of tectonic events, such as tsunamis, and even takes us on a tour of volcanoes in outer space!

Booknews

Written for a general readership and originally published in German (1997, Verlag C.H. Beck oHG, München, Germany), this small format book (5x7.5) conveys a great deal of information about what makes the ground shake and explode. This is not a flashy, highly illustrated book; only a few drawings and diagrams support the straightforward, accessibly written text. Shick is a geophysicist retired from the U. of Stuttgart, Germany, and is the founder of a working group Seismic Phenomena Associated with Volcanic Activity at the European Seismological Commission. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 9 How Solid Is the “Solid” Earth?......Page 14 Earthquakes......Page 30 Volcanoes......Page 92 Further Reading and Information......Page 162 Index......Page 168 However still the Earth's surface may seem at times, it is actually seething with activity, much of it driven by the intense heat of the inner layers of the Earth.