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    The Million Death Quake: The Science of Predicting Earth's Deadliest Natural Disaster
    Unavailable
    The Million Death Quake: The Science of Predicting Earth's Deadliest Natural Disaster
    Unavailable
    The Million Death Quake: The Science of Predicting Earth's Deadliest Natural Disaster
    Ebook316 pages4 hours

    The Million Death Quake: The Science of Predicting Earth's Deadliest Natural Disaster

    By Roger Musson

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    For centuries, Californians and the Japanese have known that they were at risk of catastrophic earthquakes, and prepared accordingly. But when a violent 7.0 earthquake rocked Haiti in 2010, hardly anyone knew the island nation was even at risk for disaster, and, tragically, no one was prepared. Over 300,000 people died as buildings that had never been designed to withstand such intense shaking toppled over and crushed their inhabitants. Now, scientists warn that it won't be long before a single, catastrophic quake kills one million people - and that it is going to strike right where we least expect it. In this groundbreaking book, renowned seismologist with the British Geological Survey Roger Musson takes us on an exhilarating journey to explore what scientists and engineers are doing to prepare us for the worst. With riveting tales of the scientists who first cracked the mystery of what causes the ground to violently shake, Musson makes plain the powerful geological forces driving earthquakes and tsunamis, and shows how amazing feats of engineering are making our cities earthquake-proof. Highlighting hotspots around the world from Mexico City to New York this is a compelling scientific adventure into nature at its fiercest.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateOct 16, 2012
    ISBN9781137106995
    Unavailable
    The Million Death Quake: The Science of Predicting Earth's Deadliest Natural Disaster
    Author

    Roger Musson

    Roger Musson is the Head of Seismic Hazard and Archives at the British Geological Survey, where he is the chief spokesman to the media after any major earthquake, including The Guardian, The Sunday Post, and The Telegraph. He is the author of The Million Death Quake. He has written op-eds for The New York Times, is a regular contributor to Fortean Times, and was interviewed by Time magazine after the Haiti earthquake. He has appeared on a variety of documentaries, including the National Geographic Channel. Musson is also on the editorial board for the Journal of Seismology, the Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering, and Natural Hazards. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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    Reviews for The Million Death Quake

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    • 3/5
      This book wasn't what I expected from the title. I expected to read about where the great quake was expected to occur and possibly what we could do to prevent catastrophic death count, however, what I got was a book about the causes of earthquakes, identification of areas that are prone to large magnitude earthquakes, and the explanation of the measurements and what they mean. Disappointing.
    • 4/5
      I think a better title for this book would be its subtitle, “The Science of Predicting Earth’s Deadliest Natural Disaster” because the bulk of this work is just that – the science of earthquakes. Written by British Geological Survey seismologist Roger Musson, the book describes the different types of earthquakes and how they happen, how they’re detected and rated by intensity, and how the effects can cause damage to both natural and man-made structures and environments. I found it to be an interesting, concise, and well-illustrated scientific and historical work and record.
    • 4/5
      This is a nice history and overview of earthquakes, how they are caused, how people have perceived them over the centuries, how people study them and quantify them, and probably most importantly, how to minimize damage and loss of life resulting from them.The author is good at describing his field in a way that non-seismologists can understand, using simple examples such as bending a plastic ruler with your hands to get a concept about how earthquakes work. His writing style is simple and easy to read. I am a member of a neighborhood emergency team. It's a program that my city funds and conducts training for, teaching you how to do things like turn off gas and water mains, check buildings for survivors, deal with medical emergencies, etc. The main reason my city (Portland, Oregon) is doing this is apparently because we (or, probably more accurately, our coastline, which is less than 100 miles west of us) are at risk of the most damaging kind of earthquake, a subduction zone earthquake where one tectonic plate moves under or on top of another one. We had some basic training on earthquakes which was mostly geared towards individual actions you can take to be prepared for such an event (earthquake proofing your house, keeping flashlights handy, having a food stash and water stash in the event of supply being cut, etc). This was one of the reasons I asked for this book - I wanted to better understand earthquakes. I feel like it served that purpose very well.The reason I am not giving this book more than 3 1/2 stars is that I found the writing to be a bit repetitive at times (how many times does the author have to say "predictions are hard especially about the future"?) and the middle chapters were sort of hard for me to get through, which is why it took me so many moons to review it. But, I am very glad I read it, and I plan to pass it on to others on my team who will be interested in the topic.
    • 4/5
      Layman's guide to understanding the science behind earthquakes. Written in highly accessible style, the author goes to great lengths to makes things understandable. Interesting review of historical events that added to the developing science explaining earthquakes. Final section on what should this mean for us today was lacking. Recommended for anyone living in an active earthquake zone who wishes to more accurately assess the risks.
    • 4/5
      The Million Death Quake by Roger Musson is not alarmist (despite the title); it is not dry; it is not for other people somewhere else. It is eminently readable and useful for us all, and covers all of the bases.What do you want to know about earthquakes? What causes them, why I should care (if I don’t live in California) and how to understand the Richter Scale notations in the news. Also, what have we learned in the last hundred years, and why can’t we predict them better? Musson answers it all.The core strength of this book lies in how well it is organized. It builds from simple basics to more complex concepts, and uses anecdotes of live history along the way. While Musson supplies all the scientific terms and facts, he never gets boring. I imagine him to be just like the “Mr. Wonder” type of guy hosting a children or young-adult television science program who hits the right chord for viewers (readers) of all ages.I would have enjoyed many more graphics and pictures to illustrate both the anecdotes and the concepts, though his written explanations were quite clear. In fact Musson’s chief talent does seem to be clarity, allowing the reader to get to know and share his passion along with him. He’s the kind of author one would like to invite over to dinner.
    • 5/5
      Tectonics can be a complicated subject but Musson writes in a down to earth language that makes the subject not only clear and understandable, but engrossing.He discusses areas on faultlines that were at one time sparsely populated, such as San Francisco and Mexico City, where an earthquake now would affect millions of people. Although this is an alarming prospect, Musson is not a doom and gloom writer. He reminds the reader that when considering the likelihood of a "big one" happening, it will be in geological time, not "human" time, and could be in hundreds of years.A short segment I found interesting was about myths related to earthquakes, such as the claim that animals know when an earthquake is about to happen. Well written and highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      The Million Death Quake is an excellent introduction to earthquakes (and tsunamis) for the general reader. The book consists of two distinct sections. Part I explains the science of earthquakes and seismology.Part 2 describes solutions available to protect lives. Of course earthquakes do not kill people. Buildings, landslides and water do. And predicting a quake? Highly unlikely if not totally impossible.If you know next to nothing about natural disasters or you think that your pet can somehow sense a quake before it happens, this is the book for you. Who knows, it could save your life someday. Just ask an English schoolgirl who remembered her geography while on vacation in Thailand (December 2004).
    • 4/5
      If this book was written some years ago, it might have been titled “All About Earthquakes” but the style now is to go with an attention grabber. The title is somewhat misleading as the book deals with more than a potentially catastrophic earthquake.The author does a fine job with the subject. It’s not overly simplistic which would bore those who know the basics, nor is it too technical which might scare off those who are reading about earthquakes for the first time. What causes earthquakes is covered along with how they are studied. The latter part deals with solutions and predictions. There’s a bit of levity here also, as the author recalls the time someone accidentally kicked a can containing a seismometer causing a major quake to be registered in his area.I would have liked more details and eyewitness accounts of the major quakes, but overall this is a very well written book suitable for those with some knowledge of the topic or anyone new to the subject.
    • 5/5
      Non-fiction is not always to everyone's taste, but subject to a person's desire to learn more. This was the reason I requested this book from the ER program and I'm not at all sorry. The subject was fascinating, the book very well-written and the author knows his stuff and was able to present it in a manner easily understood by the average person. I learned much more than I expected regarding the development of man's understanding of earthquakes, what they are and what we can do about them. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in and concerned about this beautiful planet we live on. I know I'll read it again, so you'll have to get your own copy. I'm keeping mine! ;)
    • 4/5
      Roger Musson's The Million Death Quake is a historical look at the study of earthquakes and not earthquakes themselves (Although, many chapters do discuss major earthquakes). Musson, himself, is a seismologist, so one may expect this book to be a complicated read. Not so. Instead, readers will be treated to a scientific and historical guide that, at many times, reads like a novel. Major scientific players and introduced, as well as investigations into many of the great earthquake tragedies. My only complaint? At only 250 pages, this book seemed to gloss over many important events. Still, it's a great read!