Furnace of creation, cradle of destruction : a journey to the birthplace of earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis / Roy Chester.

A detailed history of geology and the science of plate tectonics highlighting some of the infamous natural disasters throughout recorded history, ending with the 2004 Asian tsunami, and with a look at how understanding plate tectonics has made it possible to monitor for early signs of a natural disa...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chester, R. (Roy), 1936-
Language:English
Published: New York : AMACOM, [2008], ©2008.
Subjects:
Plate tectonics.
Continental drift.
Online Access:
Connect to: Table of contents only - All users (Cataloging @ Library of Congress)
Physical Description:xi, 242 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm
Format: Book
Contents:
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction: Time before science
  • 1: Setting The Scene
  • Trinity of natural disasters
  • Myths and legends
  • 2: Beginnings
  • What is the structure of the Earth?
  • How old is the Earth?
  • Has the Earth changed during its history?
  • 3: New Battles
  • Rocks of the Earth
  • Battle is joined
  • New horizons
  • 4: Toward Continental Drift
  • Important ideas
  • Contracting Earth
  • Land beneath the sea
  • 5: On The Road To Explaining Volcanoes, Earthquakes, And Tsunamis
  • Volcanoes
  • Earthquakes
  • Tsunamis
  • Next stage
  • 6: Continental Drift: A Theory Without A Cause
  • Big debate
  • Isostasy
  • Continental drift
  • In the shadow of continental drift
  • 7: New Horizons
  • Challenge of the sea
  • Mapping the ocean floor
  • 8: Seafloor Spreading
  • Theory emerges
  • Theory comes of age
  • Paleomagnetic key
  • How fast does it work?
  • 9: Plot thickens
  • Deep-sea sedimentation
  • Probing the sediment blanket
  • History of the seabed
  • 10: Cycle Of Birth, Life, And Destruction
  • Dynamics of seafloor spreading
  • 11: Plate Tectonics: The Earth Science "Theory Of Everything"
  • Great leap forward
  • Transform faults and new ideas
  • Plates and "plate tectonics"
  • Theory of everything?
  • 12: Hydrothermal Activity: A New Ocean World
  • Thin red layer
  • Lost heat
  • Exploring the mid-ocean ridges
  • New world
  • Pieces begin to fit together
  • Diversity: "black smokers" and "white smokers"
  • Vent communities
  • Safe havens and the origin of life
  • 13: Plate Tectonics And Volcanoes
  • 14: Plate Tectonics And Earthquakes
  • 15: Plate Tectonics And Tsunamis
  • 16: Predicting And Mitigating Against Volcanoes, Earthquakes, And Tsunamis
  • Volcanoes: "fire and molten rock"
  • Earthquakes: "when the Earth moves"
  • Tsunamis: "the big wave"
  • Coping with natural disasters
  • Epilogue: Deadly years and megadisasters
  • Change
  • Year 2004
  • Megadisasters
  • Index.