01/27/2014
Dvorak, formerly of the U.S. Geological Survey, treats Californians and other tectonics enthusiasts to an enjoyable history of the Golden State’s earthquakes alongside a bracing look at potential future ones. Dates, locations, magnitudes, and damage figures are all embedded in these stories of quakes and in the stories of those who studied them, like Andrew Lawson, the University of California geology professor who named the San Andreas Fault in 1895, and Charles Richter, developer of the eponymous magnitude scale. Dvorak describes the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resultant fire via the daring rescue of nearly 1,500 botanical samples and he carefully details where readers may see physical evidence of earthquakes, for instance “a three-foot-high step” between an L.A. fast-food restaurant and its parking lot caused by the 1971 quake. Dvorak has both good news and bad news for Californians: “a major earthquake along the San Andreas Fault will not cause California to fall into the ocean,” but a 2008 report from the Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities has given a 59% chance that a magnitude 6.7 or greater quake will strike the southern segment of the San Andreas Fault within 30 years. Photos. (Mar.)
The lives of millions will be changed after it breaks, and yet so few people understand it, or even realize it runs through their backyard. Dvorak reveals the San Andreas Fault's fascinating history-and its volatile future.
It is a prominent geological feature that is almost impossible to see unless you know where to look. Hundreds of thousands of people drive across it every day. The San Andreas Fault is everywhere-and primed for a colossal quake. For decades scientists have warned that such a sudden shifting of the earth's crust is inevitable. In fact, it is a geologic necessity.
The San Andreas Fault runs almost the entire length of California, from the redwood forest to the east edge of the Salton Sea. Along the way, it passes through two of the largest urban areas of the country-San Francisco and Los Angeles. Dozens of major highways and interstates cross it. Scores of housing developments have been planted over it. The words San Andreas are so familiar today that they have become synonymous with earthquake.
Yet few people understand the San Andreas or the network of subsidiary faults it has spawned. Some run through Hollywood, others through Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. The Hayward Fault slices the football stadium at the University of California in half. Even among scientists, few appreciate that the San Andreas Fault is a transient, evolving system that, as seen today, is younger than the Grand Canyon and key to our understanding of earthquakes worldwide.
The lives of millions will be changed after it breaks, and yet so few people understand it, or even realize it runs through their backyard. Dvorak reveals the San Andreas Fault's fascinating history-and its volatile future.
It is a prominent geological feature that is almost impossible to see unless you know where to look. Hundreds of thousands of people drive across it every day. The San Andreas Fault is everywhere-and primed for a colossal quake. For decades scientists have warned that such a sudden shifting of the earth's crust is inevitable. In fact, it is a geologic necessity.
The San Andreas Fault runs almost the entire length of California, from the redwood forest to the east edge of the Salton Sea. Along the way, it passes through two of the largest urban areas of the country-San Francisco and Los Angeles. Dozens of major highways and interstates cross it. Scores of housing developments have been planted over it. The words San Andreas are so familiar today that they have become synonymous with earthquake.
Yet few people understand the San Andreas or the network of subsidiary faults it has spawned. Some run through Hollywood, others through Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. The Hayward Fault slices the football stadium at the University of California in half. Even among scientists, few appreciate that the San Andreas Fault is a transient, evolving system that, as seen today, is younger than the Grand Canyon and key to our understanding of earthquakes worldwide.
![Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.12.6)
Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault
![Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.12.6)
Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940169576528 |
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Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
Publication date: | 02/15/2014 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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