Active Faults of the World


Book Description

Providing the first worldwide survey of active earthquake faults, this book focuses on those described as 'seismic time bombs' – with the potential to destroy large cities in the developing world such as Port au Prince, Kabul, Tehran and Caracas. Leading international earthquake expert, Robert Yeats, explores both the regional and plate-tectonic context of active faults, providing the background for seismic hazard evaluation in planning large-scale projects such as nuclear power plants or hydroelectric dams. He also highlights work done in more advanced seismogenic countries like Japan, the United States, New Zealand and China, providing an important basis for upgrading building standards and other laws in developing nations. The book also explores the impact of major quakes on social development through history. It will form an accessible reference for analysts and consulting firms, and a convenient overview for academics and students of geoscience, geotechnical engineering and civil engineering, and land-use planning.




Living on an Active Earth


Book Description

The destructive force of earthquakes has stimulated human inquiry since ancient times, yet the scientific study of earthquakes is a surprisingly recent endeavor. Instrumental recordings of earthquakes were not made until the second half of the 19th century, and the primary mechanism for generating seismic waves was not identified until the beginning of the 20th century. From this recent start, a range of laboratory, field, and theoretical investigations have developed into a vigorous new discipline: the science of earthquakes. As a basic science, it provides a comprehensive understanding of earthquake behavior and related phenomena in the Earth and other terrestrial planets. As an applied science, it provides a knowledge base of great practical value for a global society whose infrastructure is built on the Earth's active crust. This book describes the growth and origins of earthquake science and identifies research and data collection efforts that will strengthen the scientific and social contributions of this exciting new discipline.







Active Tectonics


Book Description

Over 250,000 people were killed in the Tangshan, China earthquake of 1976, and other less active tectonic processes can disrupt river channels or have a grave impact on repositories of radioactive wastes. Since tectonic processes can be critical to many human activities, the Geophysics Study Committee Panel on Active Tectonics has presented an evaluation of the current state of knowledge about tectonic events, which include not only earthquakes but volcanic eruptions and similar events. This book addresses three main topics: the tectonic processes and their rates, methods of identifying and evaluating active tectonics, and the effects of active tectonics on society.




Plate Tectonics: A Very Short Introduction


Book Description

La 4e de couv. indique : "The concept of plate tectonics is relatively new - it was only in the 1960s that the idea that continents drifted with respect to one another came to be accepted. Plate tectonics now forms one of geology's basic principles and explains much of the large-scale structure and phenomena we see on Earth today. In this Very Short Introduction Peter Molnar explores the impact that plate tectonics has had on our understanding of Earth : how the ocean floor forms, widens, and disappears ; why earthquakes and volcanoes are found in distinct zones ; and how the great mountain ranges of the world were built. As the Himalaya continues to grow, the Atlantic widens, and new ocean floor is forming, the mechanisms of plate tectonics continue to alter the surface of our planet."




Earthquakes and Water


Book Description

Based on the graduate course in Earthquake Hydrology at Berkeley University, this text introduces the basic materials, provides a comprehensive overview of the field to interested readers and beginning researchers, and acts as a convenient reference point.




Earthquake Prediction


Book Description

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Maurice Ewing Series, Volume 4. From May 12 to May 16, 1980, eighty-eight scientists from eleven countries attended a Symposium on Earthquake Prediction at Mohonk Mountain House, Mohonk, New York. This was the third in a biennial series honoring Maurice Ewing, first director of Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory. The Symposium was one of several events that were held in 1980 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University. The two earlier Ewing Symposia, on island arcs and deep sea drilling, reflected Ewing's lifelong interest in the structure and evolution of the ocean floor. In the Third Ewing Symposium we touch another area—earthquake seismology—that played an important part in Ewing's career. Work on surface waves and long-period seismology under Ewing's direction during the 1950's and 1960's, along with his exploration of the earth beneath the oceans, provided much of the framework on which current ideas on earthquake generation and plate tectonics are based.




Earthquakes and Coseismic Surface Faulting on the Iranian Plateau


Book Description

Earthquakes and Coseismic Surface Faulting on the Iranian Plateau is a comprehensive and well-illustrated multi-disciplinary research work that analyzes the human and physical aspects of the active faults and large-magnitude earthquakes since ancient times on the Iranian Plateau. The long-term historical, archaeological, and sociological record of earthquakes discussed here gives insight into earthquake magnitudes, recurrences, fault segmentation, clustering, and patterns of coseismic ruptures from prehistoric times to the present. The first part of the book examines oral traditions and literature of the region concerned with earthquakes, particularly in folklore, epic literature, and theology. The second part assesses dynamic phenomena associated with earthquakes, including active tectonics, archaeoseismicity, and coseismic surface faulting throughout the twentieth century. This work is a valuable technical survey and an essential reference for understanding seismic hazard analysis and earthquake risk minimization in earthquake-prone developing and developed countries throughout the world. - Provides a reference for seismic hazard evaluation and analysis - Covers data dealing with crustal deformations caused by earthquake faulting and folding since historic times - Presents unique and complete data for use in empirical relation analyses in all regions




The Geology of Earthquakes


Book Description

These serve as a common interdisciplinary background for the second half of the text, which divides the discussion of earthquakes according to tectonic environment: strike-slip, divergent, and convergent.




Active Tectonics and Alluvial Rivers


Book Description

Describes how rivers respond to active tectonics for graduate students, consultants and academic researchers.