(Ebook) Earthquakes: Plate Tectonics and Earthquake Hazards by Timothy M. Kusky ISBN 9780816064625, 0816064628

(Ebook) Earthquakes: Plate Tectonics and Earthquake Hazards by Timothy M. Kusky ISBN 9780816064625, 0816064628

Kusky provides a generally accessible discussion of earthquakes for the lay reader. No maths is used to describe the actual physical modelling of the earth's crust and its various plates. Also, only a deliberately minimal set of geological terms are proferred. Instead, we get a broad description of the theory of plate tectonics. The effects of various strengths of quakes is explained, along with possible countermeasures in terms of building construction methods.A key idea is that the destructive effect of a quake often is in its lateral sideways motion, as contrasted to its strength in the vertical direction.There is a discussion of the recent 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and how it originated in an undersea quake. Hopefully the tsunami warning systems emplaced after 2004 will minimise future tolls.