Earthquakes and Eruptions

Iain Stewart looks at some of the world's most dramatic earthquakes and reveals the stories and science behind them. In seconds, these powerful forces of nature which cannot be predicted or prevented can shake a town to destruction and shift the landscape forever. We discover why quakes can last 60 times longer on the moon than on earth; how one particular earthquake fault line can produce hallucinations; and how 1960s Cold War spying gave scientists a crucial clue to understanding them.

First published in 1982, Don Turcotte and Jerry Schubert's Geodynamics became a classic textbook for several generations of students of geophysics and geology. The authors bring this text completely up-to-date in this second edition. Important additions include a chapter on chemical geodynamics, an updated coverage of comparative planetology based on recent planetary missions, and a variety of other new topics. Geodynamics provides the fundamentals necessary for an understanding of the workings of the solid earth, describing the mechanics of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and mountain building in the context of the role of mantle convection and plate tectonics. Observations such as the earth's gravity field, surface heat flow, distribution of earthquakes, surface stresses and strains, and distribution of elements are discussed. ...

What would happen if a major catastrophe struck the United States? Using past natural disasters as an example, this detailed – and disturbing – collection from HISTORY examines tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and even an asteroid impact, to see what disasters could be coming our way. The same geological forces that ripped apart the ancient world still roil beneath the surface today. Will history repeat itself? History: Mega Disasters examines it all – quakes, droughts, freezes and eruptions. They’ve happened before; will they happen again?

NOVA follows a team of US geologists as they first enter Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the 2010 epic earthquake, hunting for crucial evidence that will help them determine what the risks are of a new killer quake. Could this work one day lead to a breakthrough in predicting quakes before they happen? NOVA investigates intriguing new leads in its gripping investigation of a deadly scientific conundrum.

Assessment of human casualties in earthquakes has become a topic of vital importance for national and urban authorities responsible for emergency provision, for the development of mitigation strategies and for the development of adequate insurance schemes. In the last few years important work has been carried out on a number of recent events including earthquakes in Kocaeli, Turkey 1999, Niigata Japan, 2004, Sichuan, China 2008 and L'Aquila,Italy 2009. These events have created new and detailed casualty data, which has not until now been properly assembled and evaluated. This book draws the new evidence from recent events together with existing knowledge. It summarises current trends in the understanding of the factors influencing the numbers and types of casualties in earthquakes; it offers methods to incorporate this understanding into the estimation of losses in future events in different parts of the world; it discusses ways in which pre-event mitigation activity and post-event emergency management can reduce the toll of casualties in future events; and it identifies future research needs. ...

Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are the subject of Born of Fire, the main thesis of which is that our world is constantly changing. Our earth was once a single continent, yet today the separated continents seem stationary; they are, however, moving an inch or so each year. By studying our earth's history, scientists predict that Africa will collide with southern Europe, Eastern Africa will be isolated, Los Angeles will move toward Alaska, and New York will become part of a volcanic range. Narrator Robert Ballard takes viewers to Iceland (where in 1963 an island emerged off Iceland's coast), the United States (to the site of San Francisco's 1906 earthquake and Los Angeles's 1857 and 1971 earthquakes), Greece (to the island of Santorini's misfortune during the Bronze Age), East Africa, and Japan, where children are schooled in reading, writing, and catastrophe (their earthquake in 1923 killed 140,000 people).

What would happen if a major catastrophe struck the United States? Using past natural disasters as an example, this detailed – and disturbing – collection from HISTORY examines tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and even an asteroid impact, to see what disasters could be coming our way. The same geological forces that ripped apart the ancient world still roil beneath the surface today. Will history repeat itself? What are experts doing to avoid a landslide of death and destruction in the event of an eruption at Mt. Rainier? Would the people – and skyscrapers – of present-day Chicago survive a high-speed tornado like the one that hit in 1967? And what would happen if a Category 3 hurricane were to hit New York City? Computer animations, models, and re-creations providing a jaw-dropping view of what a storm like this could do to the Big Apple. History: Mega Disasters examines it all – quakes, droughts, freezes and eruptions. They’ve happened before; will they happen again?

What would happen if a major catastrophe struck the United States? Using past natural disasters as an example, this detailed - and disturbing - collection from HISTORY examines tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes and even an asteroid impact, to see what disasters could be coming our way. The same geological forces that ripped apart the ancient world still roil beneath the surface today. Will history repeat itself? What are experts doing to avoid a landslide of death and destruction in the event of an eruption at Mt. Rainier? Would the people - and skyscrapers - of present-day Chicago survive a high-speed tornado like the one that hit in 1967? And what would happen if a Category 3 hurricane were to hit New York City? Computer animations, models, and re-creations providing a jaw-dropping view of what a storm like this could do to the Big Apple. History: Mega Disasters examines it all - quakes, droughts, freezes and eruptions. They've happened before; will they happen again?

Volcanoes, earthquakes, and tornadoes all can cause enormous damage, and predicting where and when they will strike is of great importance. Volcanologist Dr. Marie Edmonds has devised sensors that monitor the underground activity of magma to better predict future eruptions on the Caribbean island of Monserrat, the site of the massive 1995 eruption captured for this film. Geophysicist Dr. Ross Stein studied the earthquake repair records in Istanbul's Hagia Sophia over the centuries to find clues about the history of earthquakes in Turkey. He discovers a pattern in quakes along the long North Anatolian Fault system, including the massively destructive quake at Izmit in 1999, and predicts the next earthquake just a few miles south of Istanbul. Dr. Joshua Wurman and his team chase tornados in trucks equipped with Doppler radar in an attempt to probe the interior of a tornado just as it is born.

Explosive volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods and even human beings contribute to the constant changes on the Earth's surface. Uncover the deep mysteries of our planet with top geologists in Faces Of Earth. Using state-of-the-art computer animation and stunning photography, these four in-depth, compelling programs explore how these forces shape the Earth and how, in turn, the Earth has shaped human evolution.

A volatile chain of volcanoes and faults ring the top of the Pacific Ocean. With more than one billion people potentially in harms way, evidence suggests that this region is becoming more active. Earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions are being studied by scientists who hope to learn more about the processes at work before a devastating event happens.