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Little Book Series
The Little Book of Earthquakes and Volcanoes
In this lay reader's introduction to the most spectacular and devastating of all geological events, Rolf Schick describes how earthquakes and volcanoes are related, and how they are an integral part of Earth's structure. Tracing the latest findings and theories in plate tectonics, he helps readers ask and answer the basic What was it during the formation of Earth that led to these phenomena? Why do they occur in certain areas and not in others? How can we, within reason, protect ourselves from their devastation? And how far have we come, and how far can we go, in predicting when they will strike? For the reader who wants a concise and accessible guide to what makes the ground shake and explode, this is the perfect introduction.
175 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 12, 2011
Both byproducts of various plate movements, earthquakes and volcanoes have been occurring longer than humans have inhabited the earth. In The Little Book of Earthquakes and Volcanoes, while the title is simple enough, the concepts of both are anything but. A book that explores the geologic features of earthquakes and volcanoes, the author, Rolf Schick, describes each in depth by explaining various aspects and giving multiple examples throughout.
Earthquakes:
Defined by Schick as a result of a sudden dislocation of mechanically stressed crustal blocks, the exact cause of earthquakes was unknown for quite some time. With ideas such as unborn children in the body of mother earth being kicked, the shell of the earth collapsing, or a range of electrical causes, it was not until around the mid to late 1800s that the idea of plate movement arose. However, Schick attributes most of our current knowledge of the mechanics of earthquakes to the John Hopkins’s professor, Harry Reid and his Theory of Elastic Rebound. Developed following the large 1906 Earthquake in San Francisco, his theory explains how opposite sided plates compile energy, shift, and deform until the fault can no longer hold the accumulated energy and releases it, allowing the plates to move back to their original shape and position. However, whether this plate movement is divergence, convergence, or horizontal movement, without this inner planet movement and deformation of material, earthquakes would never occur.
Volcanoes:
As stated earlier, volcanoes, similar to earthquakes are a result of tectonic plate movements. They are defined as a rupture in the crust that allows magma and gas from beneath the surface to escape, and are primarily formed from convergent or divergent plate movement, rarely ever forming from transform boundaries. Schick explains how convergence takes place at a subduction zones and involves the oceanic plate being submerged underneath the continental plate. From there magma is created and this silica-rich material containing dissolved gases rises towards the surface where it creates the volcano. As it rises however, it begins to lose gas and cool into igneous rock. Aside from the gas that escapes and runs off to the surface as lava, Schick adds one interesting note stating how if the magma does not reach the surface but still cools that it is called intrusion. Conversely, in divergence, mid-oceanic ridges is where new oceanic crust forms from magma cooling and solidifying into igneous rock. In quantitative terms, approximately 10% of today’s active volcanism occurs from divergent plate boundaries, whereas 80% occurs from convergent.
So after reading The Little Book of Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Rolf Schick, I find myself having difficulty in assessing his work. The reason I say this is because of his approach he took in writing in this book. This is quite simply a book of facts and confirmed theories about the topics of earthquakes and volcanoes. While he does list out questions and possible theories each field has, he does not state his own ideas or theories about a particular issue at hand. Because of this, there really is nothing for me to critique from an ideological perspective of his. Overall, this book was obviously not written for the sake of entertainment but rather enhancement of knowledge or education. So for that reason, I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in either the field of earthquakes or volcanoes because of all the reputable information it contains.
Earthquakes:
Defined by Schick as a result of a sudden dislocation of mechanically stressed crustal blocks, the exact cause of earthquakes was unknown for quite some time. With ideas such as unborn children in the body of mother earth being kicked, the shell of the earth collapsing, or a range of electrical causes, it was not until around the mid to late 1800s that the idea of plate movement arose. However, Schick attributes most of our current knowledge of the mechanics of earthquakes to the John Hopkins’s professor, Harry Reid and his Theory of Elastic Rebound. Developed following the large 1906 Earthquake in San Francisco, his theory explains how opposite sided plates compile energy, shift, and deform until the fault can no longer hold the accumulated energy and releases it, allowing the plates to move back to their original shape and position. However, whether this plate movement is divergence, convergence, or horizontal movement, without this inner planet movement and deformation of material, earthquakes would never occur.
Volcanoes:
As stated earlier, volcanoes, similar to earthquakes are a result of tectonic plate movements. They are defined as a rupture in the crust that allows magma and gas from beneath the surface to escape, and are primarily formed from convergent or divergent plate movement, rarely ever forming from transform boundaries. Schick explains how convergence takes place at a subduction zones and involves the oceanic plate being submerged underneath the continental plate. From there magma is created and this silica-rich material containing dissolved gases rises towards the surface where it creates the volcano. As it rises however, it begins to lose gas and cool into igneous rock. Aside from the gas that escapes and runs off to the surface as lava, Schick adds one interesting note stating how if the magma does not reach the surface but still cools that it is called intrusion. Conversely, in divergence, mid-oceanic ridges is where new oceanic crust forms from magma cooling and solidifying into igneous rock. In quantitative terms, approximately 10% of today’s active volcanism occurs from divergent plate boundaries, whereas 80% occurs from convergent.
So after reading The Little Book of Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Rolf Schick, I find myself having difficulty in assessing his work. The reason I say this is because of his approach he took in writing in this book. This is quite simply a book of facts and confirmed theories about the topics of earthquakes and volcanoes. While he does list out questions and possible theories each field has, he does not state his own ideas or theories about a particular issue at hand. Because of this, there really is nothing for me to critique from an ideological perspective of his. Overall, this book was obviously not written for the sake of entertainment but rather enhancement of knowledge or education. So for that reason, I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in either the field of earthquakes or volcanoes because of all the reputable information it contains.
September 7, 2010
Short book about the science of earthquakes and volcanoes. One interesting fact the book brings forth is that the earth will cool (no heat from the interior) in about 500 million years. This implies that there will be no earthquakes or volcanoes after that time, and thus the earth's features will begin to erode probably leaving a single large ocean.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews