Earthshaking Science: What We Know (and Don't Know) about Earthquakes

by Susan Elizabeth Hough

This is the first book to really make sense of the dizzying array of information that has emerged in recent decades about earthquakes. Susan Hough, a research seismologist in one of North America's most active earthquake zones and an expert at communicating this complex science to the public, separates fact from fiction. She fills in many of the blanks that remained after plate tectonics theory, in the 1960s, first gave us a rough idea of just what earthquakes are about. How do earthquakes start? How do they stop? Do earthquakes occur at regular intervals on faults? If not, why not? Are earthquakes predictable? How hard will the ground shake following an earthquake of a given magnitude? How does one quantify future seismic hazard?


As Hough recounts in brisk, jargon-free prose, improvements in earthquake recording capability in the 1960s and 1970s set the stage for a period of rapid development in earthquake science. Although some formidable enigmas have remained, much has been learned on critical issues such as earthquake prediction, seismic hazard assessment, and ground motion prediction. This book addresses those issues.


Because earthquake science is so new, it has rarely been presented outside of technical journals that are all but opaque to nonspecialists. Earthshaking Science changes all this. It tackles the issues at the forefront of modern seismology in a way most readers can understand. In it, an expert conveys not only the facts, but the passion and excitement associated with research at the frontiers of this fascinating field. Hough proves, beyond a doubt, that this passion and excitement is more accessible than one might think.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explained earthquake science to a high technical level, although not to a degree to discourage a reader who is not in this field.

Pointed out that earthquakes have several separate causes: The US west coast has a fault-based mechanism in Southern California, whereas the Pacific northwest has a system based on subduction. These operate on generally different time cycles: The fault-based system frequency of about 150 to 350 years; the subduction-based frequency is perhaps 300 to 500 years.

The US east coast has earthquakes based on the mid-Atlantic spreading center, which creates incredibly huge compression strains over a vast period of time. This mechanism can also produce rifts, which are likely what caused the New Madrid earthquake. The earthquake cycle is probably very long for "New Madrid" earthquakes, maybe 3000 years, and the specific geological characteristics are difficult to investigate because they are buried under so much silt, sediments, etc.

It is impressive how much has been learned about earthquakes in only about 100 years of study, much of it without the benefit of seismograph recorders or GPS technology. With time, we will certainly learn much more. But not enough to allow reliable prediction, at least not for many years (centuries?) yet to come.

This book is quite readable, despite its technical depth. I will refer to this again in the future as I learn more about the subject.

[Maren O'Neill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of the book, Earthshaking Science, caught my attention when browsing through a selected list of books. Knowing virtually nothing about earthquakes, Hough, through her book, attempts to answer all of my questions, along with other questions posed about earthquakes. She addresses the how, why, and where earthquakes happen, providing a great overview of everything regarding earthquakes.

The book begins with the history of various theories regarding earthquakes, including catastrophism, uniformitarianism, theory of continental drift, and eventually, evolving into the theory of plate tectonics. Prediction of earthquakes is another area of discussion. Presently, we cannot predict earthquakes but they can predict long-term earthquake rates. This leads to the importance of being prepared and responding appropriately. Other topics of interest are earthquake size, magnitude, theories of aftershocks and mainshocks, and the source of earthquakes, earthquake sequences and interactions, among others. Hough fills in the blanks of what earthquakes are, providing a full understanding of the ideas and theories behind earthquakes from the beginning to present day. New understandings and discoveries are being made in the field of seismology.

This book is for everyone, including, interested non-scientific or scientific readers, those with no background regarding earthquakes or earth science, and those with a vast array of knowledge including seismologists or earthquake specialists. I would recommend this book for most readers. Give it a try . . . you might find it an engaging and interesting read. For me, there was a lot of information to process and absorb. I found myself questioning what was just read on the page, having to reread passages to understand the full meaning, sometimes not coming to a conclusion. The in-depth and wide range of knowledge created some confusion when attempting to comprehend the complex science of earthquakes. Overall, new information was added to my understanding of earthquakes that made the book a worthwhile read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susan Hough makes the argument that instead of trying to prevent or control these geologic event, called earthquakes, it is essential to understand them better and respond appropriately. She also argues that the questions of how earthquakes will affect us can be answered by studying the history of earthquakes. By studying the history we can properly react and begin to prefect out engineering. There was a great line, later in the book, where she states that earthquakes don't kill people, buildings kill people. Precautions must be taken especially when it comes to the safely of people, especially if we have the knowledge and capability.
I liked that she didn't only focus on the earthquakes that happen in California. She talks about several other regions were earthquakes have had devastating effects but are unfortunately forgotten about. Everyone seems to know about the dangers of California but little knows of places elsewhere and do not see anywhere else as a potential area of concern. The United States east coast is an area at high risk for a catastrophic earthquake happening but little is said about it.

[Erik Fjeldsted · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of earthquake science. Having some previous knowledge of earthquakes helped in being able to read this book. Overall this was an informative read. If I were to change this book I think it could have spent a little less on time on the New Madrid earthquake of 1811. If you want a good overview of earthquake science this is a good start.