Earthquake Storms: An Unauthorized Biography of the San Andreas Fault

by John Dvorak

A geologist explores the fault line that threatens disaster for millions in this “must-read for earthquake buffs—and West Coast residents” (Library Journal).

It’s a geological structure that spans almost the entire length of California. Dozens of major highways and interstates cross it. Scores of housing developments have been built over it. And its name has become so familiar that it’s now synonymous with the very concept of an earthquake.

Yet, to many of those who are affected by it, the San Andreas Fault is practically invisible and shrouded in mystery. For decades, scientists have warned that the fault is primed for a colossal quake. According to geophysicist John Dvorak, such a sudden shift of the Earth’s crust is inevitable—and may be a geologic necessity.

In Earthquake Storms, Dvorak explains the science behind the San Andreas Fault, a transient, evolving system that’s key to our understanding of worldwide seismic activity. He traces it from the redwood forests to the east edge of the Salton Sea, through two of the largest urban areas of the country: San Francisco and Los Angeles. Its network of subsidiary faults runs through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica, and the Hayward Fault slices the football stadium at the University of California in half. As he warns of peril, Dvorak lays out the worst-case scenario, which he believes is coming: an awakening of the fault leading to years of volatile “earthquake storms.”

Hailed by Booklist as “a fascinating look at what could be in store,” Dvorak’s comprehensive and accessible study will change the way you see the ground beneath your feet.
 

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Geology, Nature, Audiobook, Historical

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

John Dvorak, PhD, has studied volcanoes and earthquakes around the world for the United States Geological Survey, first at Mount St. Helens in 1980, then a series of assignments in Hawaii, Italy, Indonesia, Central America and Alaska. In addition to dozens of papers published in scientific journals, Dvorak has written cover stories for Scientific American, Astronomy and Physics Today.

Reviews

[Darya Silman · Rating 4 out of 5]

All a well-read layperson wants to know about geology in general and California in particular.

In Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault, John Dvorak gives a comprehensive overview of California's and the world's geological past and future.

Have you watched the movies about the San Andreas Fault, one released in 2015, another in 2019? Have you ever wondered (especially if you live in California) about the probability of a major earthquake that could send California into the ocean's depths? John Dvorak answers that last question with a definitive 'no.' However, California may be split apart into islands because around 700 faults, short and long, run through it.

With a high probability, this won't happen in the nearest future.

In the book, John Dvorak goes beyond the sole topic of the San Andreas Fault. Half of the book is made out of biographies of famous geologists who studied California, starting from the middle of the 19th century. Another half is the study of geological theories as well as how those theories are applied in the modern world. Readers (and again, especially Californians) will find the chapters about the earthquake's predictions quite revealing. In one sentence, don't believe in foreseers!

All in all, I received more than I expected from the book, seemingly, from the title, about one fault. The hardest part of absorbing the knowledge from the book wasn't the terminology (though, to understand the topic further, I will undoubtedly revisit the book). It was long passages about specific Californian locations: what city has what faults, what road to take to get here or there, where to see such and such geological sight, etc. I listened to an audiobook; if the paperback contains maps, then discard my grunt.

I recommend the book as an introduction to geology and seismology, the light half of the book preparing the reader for a more scientific-oriented second part.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is almost entirely focused on California, with a bit of discussion about other great quakes in world history. It is lucidly written and easily understandable to the lay person. The book covers both the geology of the San Andreas Fault and the history including such people as Grover Gilbert, Harry Fielding Reid who studied the 1906 San Francisco quake. Andrew Larson a geology professor at the University of California Berkeley who named the San Andreas Fault in 1895. Of course, Charles Richter who developed the eponymous magnitude scale was discussed in detail. Dvorak describes the history of all the known California quakes but goes into great detail about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. He explains the 1960 discovery of plate tectonics and how that brought better understanding to the geology of California and the understanding of earthquakes. He almost makes a guide to where to go and what to look at along with what is the meaning of what you are looking at along various site of the San Andreas Fault. He gives a description how the San Andreas Fault works and how other fault secondary fault lines develop. He states that the San Andreas Fault and its many subsidiary faults are tearing California apart. He says geological California has been in a quiet time for quakes but according to past history this is going to change. Dvorak apparently worked for the U.S. Geological Survey. Overall I found this to be a most fascinating book. Malcolm Hillgartner did a great job narrating the book.

[Sophy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This was an informative book but tended to focus more on the individuals (mainly men) throughout the history of studying earthquakes.

There are detailed sections on seismologists, geologists, palaeontologists, right down to their physical appearance, where they lived, who they married and who they agreed/disagreed with in the world of academia and science. There are less detailed sections on the actual San Andreas Fault!

I was expecting a bit more from this book to be honest and was slightly disappointed at the lack of salient information on the fault formation itself.

Still interesting but slightly mis marketed.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea that so much earthquake science developed in California. Fascinating for the way it relates recent history to the geography around us. Dvorak is a great storyteller.

> In 1864, in recognition of his leadership, his men named the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada Mountains—which is also the highest point in the contiguous 48 states—Mount Whitney. The same year, this expert on mineral ores issued his first major report. Its contents shocked the people of California when they read it because, instead of telling where additional mineral deposits might be found, this 236-page tome described something else—paleontology! … In scanning through the hundreds of pages of text based on four years of intense fieldwork, one finds the word “gold” only three times and the words “wealth” and “riches” not at all. One outraged citizen carried the tome to the state assembly and antagonized legislators in their offices by reading sections to them. And the legislators reacted. They reduced both Whitney’s annual salary and his budget by half. He responded by leaving the state and returning to Massachusetts, where Harvard College honored him with a professorship.

> Showing either an ignorance of or a total disregard for political realities, he pronounced more than half of the mining claims in the state as either worthless or unproductive. And, more than that, there was an important element missing from the report: There was no indication where additional gold might be found. This lack of telling where new gold strikes might be made caused the state legislators to act again. This time, they cut Whitney’s salary and his budget to zero.

> Today Whitney’s Geology is regarded as a masterpiece, exquisitely written and describing not only the geology of California but also its fauna and flora, much of it now gone. Whitney recounts a visit to Yosemite when the valley was still pristine. He is the first to use the term “High Sierra.” And he tells of personal adventures in confronting flash floods and assisting local lawmen who were searching for desperadoes.

> The blocks of granite that lie along the coast, which are part of a large feature known as the Salinian Block (named after the Salinas Valley north of Monterey), have actually slid hundreds of miles from where they formed at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

> In Whitney’s view, a single local and rare cataclysm—a powerful earthquake—had caused the floor of Yosemite Valley to drop suddenly, forming the spectacular vertical walls of Half Dome and El Capitan. It was such a cataclysm that explained why Yosemite Valley was unique in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Muir was unconvinced and responded to Whitney in his first published work, “Yosemite Glaciers,” an essay that appeared on December 5, 1871, in the New York Tribune

> This idea—that earthquakes were underground explosions caused by the mixing of naturally occurring chemical compounds—was the prevailing one when Whitney attended Yale College in the 1840s. By the 1870s, the idea had been tempered and some authorities were now suggesting that the sudden strong quaking of the ground surface might be a product of the slow, constant cooling of an initially hot Earth, which caused the entire planet to contract

> in 1883, when Gilbert did his work in Owens Valley, it was revolutionary. And, as often happens with a new idea, it was ignored—in this case for more than 20 years. Not until 1906, when an earthquake devastated San Francisco and the surrounding area, did geologists readily accept Gilbert’s idea that earthquakes were caused by the sliding of crustal blocks. That earthquake, as will be shown, gave undeniable proof that the sliding of crustal blocks had caused the shaking. Barely a decade before then, someone had discovered the San Andreas Fault

> if Muir and others had known more about glaciers and their ability to scour and erode, he probably would not have proposed a glacial origin for Yosemite Valley. It would not be until 1913, when Francois Matthes, a geologist working in national parks, disposed of the earthquake theory and downplayed a glacial origin. Today, the general opinion is that Yosemite Valley is an erosional feature formed by river erosion and exfoliation of granite. The flat valley floor owes its existence to sediment trapped in shallow lakes that formed during a retreat of the glaciers

> Three miles south of Colma is where the San Andreas Valley begins. The water reservoir lies along the axis of the valley. If one projects the axis northward, it intersects the Pacific coast at Mussel Rock.

> a one-kiloton explosion, whether by a nuclear device or by a conventional chemical bomb, equates to a magnitude-4.0 earthquake. Furthermore, an increase of one earthquake magnitude corresponds to a 32-fold increase in energy. That means that the largest nuclear device detonated by the United States—the Cannikin underground test on Amchitka Island, Alaska, in 1971, which had an energy yield of 5,000 kilotons—corresponded, in energy release, to a magnitude-7.1 earthquake.

> On a typical day, Dibblee slept until midmorning. Once awake, he would walk around for hours and return to camp and, after a quick meal of hard biscuits and coffee, he would sleep again. A day’s main work would begin in the midafternoon, when he would start a long walk. And Thomas Dibblee was a prodigious walker, typically covering 10 miles or more a day. Instead of a backpack, he carried a paper shopping bag, which was not replaced until after he married and his wife sewed a cloth one for him. Inside the bag were the essentials for his work: maps, pencils, a compass, rain gear, a water bottle, and a large box of raisins to support himself on his treks … It is said if you drive any road that connects San Francisco and Los Angeles and look at any distant outcrop of rocks, even those on steep peaks, it is almost certain that Thomas Dibblee once stood there … Then he had his major meal of the day: a slice of bread, a half can of beans, a few leaves pulled from a head of lettuce, several cups of water, and finally a cup of coffee. He then proceeded to prepare his bed. He pulled out a wooden plank and laid it across the front seat of his coupe so that part of the plank extended outside the open door on the driver’s side of his coupe. He then stretched out and fell asleep: The bottom half of the steering wheel was sawed off so that he could turn without waking himself up.

> Within Liebre Mountain is a Triassic monzogranite that can be reached by driving along a barely maintained paved road, the Old Ridge Route Road. A monzogranite is a type of granite that is the last part of a magma body to solidify. For that reason, it often has unusual mineral and chemical compositions and especially large crystals. The one at Liebre Mountain—which solidified 215 million years ago during the Triassic Period and was reheated 70 million years ago during the late Cretaceous—catches the eye because it contains large well-formed crystals—often more than an inch across—of a salmon-colored potassium feldspar.

> Follow State Highway 330 toward Big Bear ski resort. Just two miles south of Angel Camp is a high roadside cut where an equally distinctive and attractive Triassic monzogranite is exposed. It also has large salmon-colored feldspar crystals that solidified 215 million years ago and were reheated 70 million years ago during the late Cretaceous.

> Today the station is known as the Mauna Loa Observatory. It would be here, just a year after Wilson’s visit, that scientists would announce the first measurements that showed that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was increasing at a high rate. But on the day he visited, December 4, 1958, that equipment was still being tested. After the scientific discussions and after a lunch, the six men went outside. The wind was now blowing. Wilson walked off to look around. Only years later, reflecting on that visit, did he realize that he had arrived at a revolutionary way of understanding the Earth.

> Wilson, of course—as did almost every geologist of the time—passionately discounted any theory to the contrary, which included the one proposed in 1912 by German meteorologist Alfred Wegener that the continents had shifted their positions a significant amount during geologic history, an idea that was later corrupted into the phrase “continental drift.”

> I suggest going to the rocky Marin Headlands immediately north of the Golden Gate Bridge. After gazing at the fantastic view of San Francisco’s cityscape, turn around and look at the rocks exposed in the roadcut. What catches the eye are the parallel ribbons of red chert folded into giant kinks and the occasional chevron. If the chert is examined closely—a glass hand lens is of great utility—one sees countless white dots. Those dots are skeletons of a tiny sea creature, a radiolarian, that built its tiny shell out of the mineral silica. Radiolarians thrive only in warm equatorial waters, and when they die their skeletons sink slowly to the ocean floor to form what is inelegantly though accurately known as radiolarian ooze.

> as the North American plate drifted west, the Farallon plate moved southeast. The collision formed a subduction zone as the denser Farallon plate slid under the lighter continental rocks of North America. As it did so, the brow of North America acted like a bulldozer and scraped off some of the rocks of the seafloor, forming what plate tectonophysicists call “an accretionary wedge.” The rocks of this wedge are the crushed and mangled and highly deformed rocks of the Coast Ranges—which includes the red ribbon chert north of the Golden Gate—as well as the hills of San Francisco, most of the mountain mass of Big Sur and its spectacular sea cliffs, and much more

> At a few places along the coast, hillside streams and ocean currents have combined to concentrate rocks washed down from the Franciscan at several beaches. The most famous is Moonstone Beach near San Simeon

> Why is there oil in California? Almost all of the oil in the Golden State is derived from the organics of siliceous diatom frustules. Diatoms are microscopic bivalves; frustules are the hard external cell walls covering diatoms, composed almost entirely of silica. When diatoms die, their frustules, now containing decaying organic matter, sink. Unlike radiolarians, which live far out in the ocean, diatoms thrive close to shore in shallow basins. During the middle Miocene, about 16 million years ago, there was a great proliferation of diatoms along the California coast. In part, this proliferation, which produced a thick section of organic-rich sediment, was caused by a change in the pattern of ocean currents in the Pacific Ocean—a change in pattern caused by a closing of the Indonesian Seaway as the plate carrying Australia pushed up against southern Asia

> only a small amount of the organics in the Monterey Formation were converted into oil; the vast majority still exist as waxy kerogen. But kerogen cannot be pumped out of the ground; however, it can be extracted by a process known as fracking that requires the hydraulic fracturing of rock by pressurized liquid—an action that might induce earthquake activity—followed by the injection of chemicals to dissolve the kerogen and cause it to separate from the rock, putting it into a liquid form that could be pumped to the surface.

> In all, the series lasted 5 minutes and 11 seconds. In that time, the ground surface ruptured and two major hospitals suffered extensive damage in the Sylmar District of the San Fernando Valley in California. … The best place to see it is on Glenoaks Avenue south of Hubbard Street. Here the drive-through lane of a fast-food restaurant runs right along the base of a three-foot-high step dividing the restaurant from its parking lot. That step is where the ground ruptured and rose in 1971

> History shows that whenever there is a major earthquake in California, say a magnitude-6 event—which can do substantial damage—there is a 1 in 10 chance that another earthquake of equal or greater magnitude will happen in the same general area within the next three days.

> In the last 3,000 years, 14 of the 15 major earthquakes that occurred along the northern segment were preceded by a major earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone. The average time interval between a Cascadia event and the subsequent San Andreas earthquake is 40 years, yet some of these paired events might have been simultaneous. The only major earthquake not preceded by a Cascadia event was the 1906 earthquake

> the segment of the San Andreas Fault that runs through San Andreas Valley—the namesake of the fault and where Lawson first recognized the fault—may be the youngest strand of the entire fault, having formed one or two million years ago. It also has a relatively small amount of accumulated movement; in the San Andreas Valley, the fault has displaced rocks only about 20 miles. If the position of the fault has shifted before, it will almost certainly shift again. A future candidate for taking up much of the motion between the Pacific and North American plates and replacing the current active trace of the San Andreas Fault is the Hayward Fault on the east side of San Francisco Bay.

> For 4,000,000 years, after its separation from North America, Baja California has been ramming into southeastern California. The net result is that the greater Los Angeles area is caught in a vise. The area is being squeezed, and that has caused the crust to buckle and throw up an east-west line of mountains—the Transverse Ranges, which run from Santa Barbara to San Bernardino—and is responsible for the “Gordian knot” of geology declared by Josiah Whitney when he began to examine California geology. At the same time, the Los Angeles area is also being dragged to the northwest by the Pacific plate

> the Pacific plate is moving to the northwest at a steady rate of 1.9 inches per year relative to the interior of North America. Two-thirds of the movement—1.4 inches per year—is occurring across the San Andreas Fault and its subsidiary faults, such as the San Gregorio-Hosgri, Hayward, and San Jacinto Faults. A quarter of the relative plate motion—0.4 inches per year—is occurring across the Walker Lane seismic zone, which is consistent with the lower seismic activity of the Walker Lane compared to the San Andreas system. But that still leaves a small amount of plate motion—0.1 inches per year—to be explained. And GPS measurements have revealed this motion: It is occurring across yet another seismic zone—the Intermountain Seismic Belt—that bisects Utah from south to north, includes the Wasatch Fault east of the Great Salt Lake

> A more recent storm occurred in eastern Mongolia between 1905 and 1957, when four magnitude-8 events struck. And an earthquake storm is happening now along the Xianshuihe and adjacent faults along the northern edge of the Tibetan plateau in southwest China, where 11 major earthquakes have happened in the last 120 years

> Hollywood offers an unusual opportunity to recognize and walk along an active fault. The area was urbanized in the 1920s, before the widespread use of mechanized earth-moving equipment, so much of the original topography is still intact, even subtle features such as alignments of low hills and shallow troughs that record the trace of recent earthquakes

> In all, nearly 100 miles of the San Andreas Fault can be seen from the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. It is this, the southernmost segment of the fault, that worries seismologists because this is the only segment that has not ruptured in historical time.

> points on opposite sides of the fault are sliding slowly and continuously—those on the west side of the fault moving to the north and those on the east side to the south—at an average rate of 1.5 inches a year. This means that, since the last major earthquake in 1690, 27 feet of crustal movement has accumulated on opposites sides of the fault—without any movement yet along this part of the fault

> California Earthquakes by Carl-Henry Geschwind recounts the history of earthquake studies in the United States. Richter’s Scale by Susan Elizabeth Hough is a passionate telling of the complex life of Charles Richter. Chapter 11 of this book is a postscript to Assembling California by John McPhee. Plate Tectonics: An Insider’s History of the Modern Theory of the Earth by Naomi Oreskes tells the personal stories that led to the development of the theory of plate tectonics. And Apocalypse by Amos Nur shows how one person can bring a new perspective to a problem and thereby challenge established scientific thought

[J.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good history of earthquakes and our knowledge about them in general, and the San Andreas Fault in particular. As such, many of the geologists in California who were instrumental in earthquake science are profiled, as well as their contributions to the science. And it's mostly written in an easy-to-understand and follow way - and Dvorak offers a lot of examples illustrating the seismic movements being discussed - although I sometimes felt a bit lost when it got into deep specifics and talking about rocks.

Unfortunately, the part about "earthquake storms" and what that means doesn't really enter the book until the very end, and the discussion about it didn't seem very solid to me (basically it's that "earthquake storms" are events that are all related to each other even when they happen over decades or a century or more). I mean, I think I got it, but... And something that kind of bothered me was a couple of mistakes I caught. The first was when talking about the 1971 Sylmar Earthquake, he mentioned a police officer (Clarence Dean) who died when he drove off a collapsed overpass. But Dean actually died in 1994 following the Northridge Earthquake. The second mistake was in the Epilogue where he mentions the Alfred Hitchcock film "The Birds" (and yes, he has a good reason for bringing it up) and says that Hitchcock "intended the village of Bodega Bay to be a seaside town in New England..." Except I'm pretty sure Hitchcock intended it to be Northern California (although I'm not completely certain of that - I'd have to check more than just Wikipedia). Yes, they're minor errors, but it always makes me wonder what else might not be particularly accurate.

Still, as someone who lives in Southern California, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the author's way of writing. Geology can be a pretty dry subject for reading, but I think this is very well done, and it sent me searching online for fault line maps and pictures of the people and events talked about (there are a few pictures at the end of the ebook I read - I wish they'd been incorporated into the text). It also made me want to do a bit of fault line tourism of my own. Very good, and recommended reading.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exquisitely beautiful history of how humans came to understand the inner workings of our planet earth. Dvorak's book wasn't even on my radar until I saw it in my feed because a friend added it to read. It turned out to be the history of geology and dynamic Earth that I didn't realize I needed to know.

Years ago I fell in love with geology after taking an intro to geology class, only because it was a requirement and the class I really wanted, cosmology, was full. During that semester, I began to realize that the discovery of Earth's crazy way of becoming and remaining active was as exciting as any exploration into space.

The main reason I fell in love with geology is because it made me realize that the sun made Earth; and thus, Earth's cycles are controlled by the sun. Earth made living organisms; and thus, our cycles (eating, sleeping, mating, living, dying, etc) are controlled by Earth. But how? And why? Who knew that so many of the answers could be found in rocks, in Earth's core, and in its deep and mysterious waters? The author doesn't focus on all of these questions, but what he does speak to, he addresses with such beauty.

This book primarily focuses on how humans came to understand the dynamic nature of the moving rocks that make up the crust of Earth. Dvorak provides a wonderful history of all of the people who have contributed to our understanding so far. The history is played out in this book like a cast of characters in a movie I came to know and love. Dvorak offers excellent personal information on each person who contributed to answering questions such as, 'What could earthquakes teach us?,' 'What actions could we take during earthquakes to learn more about them?,' 'What was going on at the mid ocean ridges?', 'How did humans begin to understand plate tectonics?', 'What were the personal lives of the researchers like?', 'How much did sexism affect the study of plate tectonics?', 'What were each of the discoveries that added to our full understanding of how the earth's crust works?' and more.

I hope this author writes more about geology. I am immediately going to start reading another book by him. I loved this book much more than I imagined I would.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a subject matter expert, this told the history behind the initial studies of the San Andreas fault, and outlined the conclusions and theories that were developed.

Initially, ca. 1906, no one knew the sources of earthquakes, or their full effects. Prevailing opinions were that underground volcanic events caused them, and their effects were to cause the earth to move vertically only. With vast amounts of observational data -- acquired on foot in the era before aerial capabilities -- evidence accumulated that demonstrated there was also a horizontal shift. Sometimes over 10's or 100's of miles.

As might be expected, the geological community had trouble accepting this. Long horizontal sifts seemed to be an impossibility -- but the data eventually won out.

Since the early days, observational capabilities have improved dramatically and vast reserves of measured data have been acquired. Intense data analysis is ongoing in an attempt to allow earthquake prediction, a hugely difficult task to achieve. The author explains this, outlines why prediction is not currently possible, and avoids comments about future capabilities. Problem is, we just don't have good prediction methods that we can trust, and may not for a long time to come.

A very readable, although deep, book.

[David Schwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells us about the San Andreas Fault through stories about the people who have studied it. The science of seismology made huge strides through the contributions of geologists studying the San Andreas Fault. For people who like California history this is an informative book. The author is well known as a journalist covering the computer industry and has written an insightful book about earthquakes in California.

[Judd Street · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of this book is as commonplace as it is engaging: California is due for the 'big one,' and when it strikes, it will have dire consequences.

In "Earthquake Storms," John Dvorak explores the seismicity of California through the San Andreas (and several other nearby) faults. It's part geology and part history, spending just as much time tracing Richter and Eastwood and other characters as tracing the geography and geology of the faults themselves. In that sense, it's a strong - if remarkably American- and California-centric - introduction to earthquake history and science.

It's also, in many ways, a typical pop-sci meets disaster book. The history and science comes fast and furious through quick, engaging vignettes. This format helps to hook the reader, but it also leaves the reader a little discombobulated at the end of it all: it's difficult to keep stories straight and characters in mind after such brief visits.

There are two things that I wish were done differently in the book.

First, for a book that's entirely about situating places, it's criminally inexcusable that the volume doesn't include a single godforsaken map. Even as someone who has spent a fair bit of time in the US Southwest, it was doggone difficult to keep up with mental drawing out fault lines via semi-obscure landmarks. The addition of twenty-something black and white maps, indicating faults and other features, co-located with Dvorak's discussions, would have made the book so much more readable and useful.

Second, Dvorak's titular thesis (that future earthquakes in California might emerge as earthquake storms) almost feels like it deserves to be hidden as a spoiler. It only really makes an appearance in the last two chapters, feeling more like an afterthought than a compelling exploration. Up until the last 30 pages, earthquakes and faults are treated as entirely individual entities, never interacting. As such, this suggestion that 'perhaps we could see an earthquake storm devastate California!' comes across more as a cheap climax than a well-reasoned argument that the reader has been led to.

That said, this is still a fun and readable introduction to earthquake science. It's provincial, sure, but it will feed you many intriguing tidbits about the San Andreas and the story of how we've come to understand earthquakes today.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Palm Springs/Joshua Tree area, so I was sorry to learn that this area has a 59% chance of a major earthquake in the next 30 years. This quake would be along the lines of the quake that rocked San Francisco in 1906.

This book is really about the development of seismology as a science and the development of tools to measure and study earthquakes like the Richter Scale. Very interesting reading about the various faults the are spread across California. However, examples of other earthquakes sites are used to help explain concepts.

My advice would be to have a map of California nearby as you read this book or be very familiar with the locations of cities, towns, and geographical features of the state. You will also need access to a dictionary especially for Chapter 8 if you aren't familiar with the terminology of geology.

I enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit about the development of the continents and other features such as mountain ranges. Also, of course about the quest to better predict and prepare for the inevitable earthquakes.

[Blue · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are no maps of California's cities, nor a geological map, nor map of fault lines - which this book would have been much improved by including. Otherwise, it was an alright book, with early chapters following a specific person and moving on with a good segway to the next. Personally, as it mentioned U.S.ofA. seismology as a whole, would have like to read something about other U.S.ofA. faults such as the New Madrid.

[Fred Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history and overview of the San Andreas fault. Wonderful writer...great job!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and Open Road Media for an ARC for an unbiased review!

Earthquake Storms is a brief look at the history of the San Andres fault in California. The book includes brief biographical details about major researchers, history of the faults oldest earthquakes, future earthquakes and the scientific tools used in the measurements of the daily life of the San Andres.

If you’re looking for a whistle blowing publication, you should look elsewhere. Dvorak develops facts based on scientific research and gives the reader a brief introduction into the academic world of earth sciences. The book only briefly touches upon future predictions, and even then, does not overestimate the magnitude or damage caused by the next big movement San Andres event.

It was refreshing to learn about the history of California’s interest in earth sciences: from the gold rush, to the modern day desire for earthquake warning systems. The book briefly explains Grover Gilbert, Harry Fielding Reid and the origin of the term “Richter Scale”. In the more fascinating portion of the book we learn about the breaking up of Pangaea, the development of today’s island rings, and the role of plate tectonics on the development of mountains, the sea bed floor and the coast lines. Everything an average reader would want to learn about our planet.

My only concern is the last chapter or two were very technical. I understood about 20% of Dvorak’s explanations and descriptions of the mineral deposits, rock formations and landscape. I have never been to California, much of the descriptions were confusing and not as useful to my understanding as a Californian native.
I would highly suggest this book to a person who has very little understanding of plate tectonics, and the history of earthquake research. The book covers all the basics in easy to understand lingo, and down to earth descriptions (no pun intended).

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Before reading “Earthquake Storms” I knew very little about earthquakes. The author began right where I was – at square one. He went all the way back to the time when even the scientists knew almost nothing about why or how earthquakes occurred. I found it great reading as he opened a new world to me.

Mr. Dvorak discussed the specific people who studied earthquakes during their lifetimes. Some of them are well known and some are not. Someone I found of interest was Charles Richter since he was the only one I had heard of before. He had a very unusual life and accomplished much.

The book mainly discusses the San Andreas Fault and that was extremely interesting. But I would love to see him write another book mainly about the New Madrid Fault since I am close enough to be impacted by that one.

I had always heard that when the “big one” hits, California will slide into the ocean. However, I gather from this book that a different scenario could occur. I will provide a quote from the author that explains this further.

“According to the California Geological Survey, there are more than 700 different faults scattered across California that have ruptured in the last 10,000 years. California is indeed, earthquake country.” “This also provides a view as to the future of the state of California. It is not going to fall catastrophically into the ocean, as some doomsday predictions profess, but it is being sliced and slid apart incrementally, most of the sliding occurring during the occasional larger earthquake.”

I highly recommend this book. It is informative, but it is also a great read.

I was provided a free copy of this book for review from Pegasus Books and Net Gallery. I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review.

[Dee Eisel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subtitle of this one is "The Fascinating History and Volatile Nature of the San Andreas Fault," but that's not really accurate. What Dvorak gives us is, indeed, as much of the history of the fault as we cleanly have. He does this by going into the biographies of several of the geologists who have researched the fault over the last two hundred years, which is much more fun.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for the San Andreas system. Dvorak does his due diligence, of course, in pointing out the various faults which are actually a bigger risk than their more famous cousin. (For example, see pretty much the whole LA basin. Yow - and that link doesn't show the blind thrust faults, like Northridge's instigating fault.) But the main San Andreas is his focus, and that's just fine.

Volatile? Yes, of course. Of course, he talks about San Francisco. We get to meet the woman shown so often in one of the definitive pictures of the 1906 quake, Alice Eastwood by name (and to read more about her, here's a quick link - Dvorak details her heroic rescue of botanical samples from the fire). He talks about the engineering of the Golden Gate Bridge, and he details some of the actual wrong guesses about the fault. Naturally, he gives a whole chapter to Charles Richter.

The last chapter builds on previous information and ties it together best to give the book its title: earthquake storms, where tension releases back and forth along a fault over time in a series of medium-large quakes. He argues that the San Andreas is similar to a nasty fault system in Turkey responsible for many modern earthquakes, and that it's very possible that another series of earthquakes - an earthquake storm - could be coming.

Whether you accept Dvorak's ending premise or not, this book is definitely worth the read! Five of five stars.

[Mike Gowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The San Andreas Fault has a probability of <1% of causing a cataclysmic earthquake --magnitude 8.2--in the next 30 years. If something like that happened, it would cause horrifying destruction and affect the lives of millions of people. However, California is an earthquake zone, and the study of the San Andreas Fault has already affected the millions of people who live in California, not only by the effects of the many earthquakes that occur there, but also in how earthquake mitigation has become part of the fabric of existence of Californians and other people all over the world.

This book tells the story of the geologists who studied the fault, the big earthquakes and the changes in building practices that resulted from the efforts to prevent massive destruction. One story is of Charles Richter, the quirky scientist who developed the method of measuring the magnitude of earthquakes that has become a term used in every day speech, as in "That was off the Richter scale." Richter was once a guest on a radio talk show, and the subject was earthquakes. One caller asked, "Oh, Dr. Richter, I'm so afraid of earthquakes. What should I do?" Richter replied, "Get the hell out of California!" We don't know if she moved.

Another personality was Thomas W Dibblee, whose working methods produced great geological maps of much of California. He'd sleep until mid-morning and then get up and walk around for hours, drawing his maps while walking. This sounds like a hard skill to master and naturally arouses the competitive instincts in me. So, I'm going to get my pencils and my paper and go out and map the backyard for a start. I wonder if he would color in his maps while he made them? I suppose I will have to read another book about him in order to figure it out.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read most of the last chapter, or maybe next to last, at Smithsonian, or some other online site, so when I saw this at the library, I grabbed it.

Dvorak's thesis is that one earthquake can lead to another as a part of a series of "storms" along a major fault over a period of decades. He basis this on analysis of earthquake clustering in Italy, northern Turkey and central China, on three major fault lines where such clusters have happened.

From there, he takes a look at the geology and history of the San Andreas Fault and wonders if something similar will happen there, and if so, when?

Given that the southern sector of the fault is likely overdue for the next "big one," Dvorak's thoughts should not be too comforting to denizens of the Southland.

That said, this is still pretty speculative stuff. I think Dvorak could ackowledge that a bit more. A bit more depth in the book in general would have been nice too.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feeling less than steady? A little shakey? Cracking up? Your not alone; Mother Earth is also suffering. Earthquakes are not confined the Pacific Rim or the area near the Black Sea. They can affect most of the planet.

Dvorak blends a nice bit of history driven by some of the key scientists, geologists and other observers over a period of centuries, with some current observations about the most famous fault on the west coast of North America. He has me convinced that we better prepare for some big quakes. The thing that has changed over the past 100 years is the vastly increased human population and potential devastation.

Highly readable, and chock full of interesting facts, anecdotes, and humor.

[Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: This ARC was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

This book was really informative. I live near the fault, but not that close. (I live about an hour drive from it.)

This book does have a lot of information, but it's made for the common person, not academic, so it's easy reading.

[Mike & Lindsey Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesomely terrifying

This book should be a must read for all Californians. It details the rough geological history of our State, as well as the forces seeking to physically tear it apart.

[Per Sjofors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and informative book. It is really about how scientists developed the understanding of how earthquakes occurs and the history of how earthquakes now are measured.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault covers the known history of the San Andreas fault and, perhaps to a lesser extent, of California earthquakes write large. John Dvorak also analyzes the evolution of earthquake science, from plate tectonics to the Richter scale. This part of the book is interesting, but not as strong as the historical background, which is well-constructed and, if not quite riveting, highly readable.

Other than the chapter on Richter and the eponymously-named scale, the theoretical and scientific aspects of the book suffer from being a bit too technical and devoid of color. The result is that I often felt I was on the literary equivalent of a see saw, alternating between the highs of historical quakes and scientists and the lows of overly-cumbersome scientific writing. And I like science! It's just that, as occurs too frequently in scientific writing that purports to be popular press (see Paper: Paging Through History, for example), Dvorak's knowledge, interest, and related vocabulary is broader than that of most readers. Additionally, and perhaps unfairly, I was hoping Earthquake Storms, which does touch on earthquakes in China, Turkey, Italy, and points near and far between, would be part-science, part-travelogue, in the style of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind or Spillover.

Ultimately, I did enjoy Earthquake Storms for the portrayal of San Francisco's 1906 quake, and for deepening my knowledge concerning the challenges around earthquake forecasting. Final verdict: On the dry side, but informative. Science-minded readers will likely enjoy it, but the casual reader will likely find it a bit too deep in the weeds.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live in Pennsylvania, where we never thought much about earthquakes until 2011 when an earthquake in central Virginia sent tremors even this far north. It was fascinating and frightening at the same time, sending me running to do some research. It turns out that we live on the Ramapo Fault Line, "the best known fault line in the mid-Atlantic region." Fortunately for us, it's not very active, but it comes to life every now and then, perhaps to remind us of its existence?

Ever since, I've wanted to learn more about earthquakes, and I did while reading this book. There was considerable discussion about the history of earthquakes, the early theories about why they happen, the geology behind them (beneath them?), and efforts to minimize the damage they cause and to predict them.

I'd never heard of an earthquake storm before this book. The BBC defines them : Scientists believe that on some faults, as an earthquake strikes, the stress released does not simply disappear. Instead it must be redistributed to another region of the fault which sets off another earthquake. This series of earthquakes is known as an earthquake storm. The series of earthquakes, generally stronger than ordinary aftershocks, can occur within a matter of days, or they can be spread out for years, which is a bit scary.

The information in this book was fascinating, and bits of it will probably be running through my mind for days, if not longer. I've added several of this author's other books to my to-read shelf... but I always have been a bit of a geology nerd :)

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Dvorak’s later book on volcanoes, and this was equally interesting in many ways. He has a good way of bringing to life the scientists and others who contributed historically to the advancement of our understanding of earthquakes. He does a good job of creating unique and clear metaphors to help convey complicated subjects — for example, the image of paleoseismology as someone studying a layer cake that was baked and assembled one layer at a time, one per hour, with a split in some layers from the cake being dropped at a specific point in time. I came away from this book wanting to visit California and see many of the landmarks he described. My one complaint — which is unfortunately significant enough to prevent this from being 5 stars — is that this book desperately needed a few maps and diagrams. There were a couple of chapters where I could not get through a single paragraph without needing to look for a fairly obscure location on a map of California on my phone, and some of the detailed descriptions of plate movements were very difficult to slog through without a simple sketch of the plates and some arrows. I’m very surprised that the editor/publisher didn’t push to include maps, even if the author didn’t think of it.

[Adam Orford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of historical storytelling and geology, the book provides a semi-structured guided tour of the San Andreas fault. A description of some physical oddity may form the jumping off point into a chapter about early 20th century scientific debates, or the description of a historic earthquake in California will lead to a discussion of plate tectonics. By the end you’ll feel like you’ve been told a lot of very interesting things about the fault, even if you will struggle to remember how they all fit together. I especially enjoyed the description of the UC Berkeley professors responding to the 1906 SF quake, and the description (well hidden) of exactly how the fault formed.

[AttackGirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book about mainly California but really the theory of tectonic plates. The fault really was the main topic where as I would have approached Ted the whole world of discussion what about following the fault along California down in Chili and how we are told from youth that California will fall off into the ocean and what about the storms and animals who behave ‘strangely’ before a quake or about women who say they have headaches or nightmares what about the ancient Chinese machine that can predict… well you get the idea. The both is wonderfully presented but could cover so much more..

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Nook version of this, so maybe the paper copies include this, but my biggest regret reading this is that I did not have a detailed Map of the areas the author was focusing on, or a map of the various faults in California (or China and Turkey).

That said, this was an extremely interesting read and I have to admit I learned a lot about the how the science evolved through the decades. All in all this would probably be a good read for people a little more familiar with California and its geography/history, and certainly those who find the science of earthquakes fascinating.

[Lisa Konet · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice to read a history of the San Andreas fault and where it actually lies. Obviously it is most well known in Los Angeles county/surrounding towns. Glad it had some actual science about plate tectonics and how this fault was created. I am glad this book did not sensationalize earthquakes, but it definitely has me worried if I will experience a big earthquake while living in SoCal.

Aside from my irrational/rational fears, this book was well written and documented the history of major earthquakes in California. Makes me interested to see what else this author has written.

[Tom Runyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book about the San Andreas fault and more.

I preface this review by indicating that I am a certified geo junky - I like all things geology specially books about geology. I have read many excellent books on the subject written by professionals in the field of geology. This book ranks at the top for me. It is an engaging read not just about the San Andreas fault but about some of the scientists who dedicated their lives to understanding faults including their occurrences and causes.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who lives in California is familiar with earthquakes, and probably has experienced one. This book tells the story of earthquakes, the science of them, particularly the San Andreas Fault. It is a fascinating history, and many questions are still unanswered. It is still not possible to predict and earthquake, although we know that they should be expected.

With all the recent hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, there are plenty of catastrophes that can affect all of us.