Catastrophes!: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, and Other Earth-Shattering Disasters

PDevastating natural disasters have profoundly shaped human history, leaving us with a respect for the mighty power of the earthmdash;and a humbling view of our future. Paleontologist and geologist Donald R. Prothero tells the harrowing human stories behind these catastrophic events.PProthero describes in gripping detail some of the most important natural disasters in history#58;PAcirc;bull; the New Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes of 1811ndash;1812 that caused church bells to ring in BostonAcirc;bull; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 230,000 peopleAcirc;bull; the massive volcanic eruptions of Krakatau, Mount Tambora, Mount Vesuvius, Mount St. Helens, and Nevado del RuizPHis clear and straightforward explanations of the forces that caused these disasters accompany gut-wrenching accounts of terrifying human experiences and a staggering loss of human life. PFloods that wash out whole regions, earthquakes that level a single country, hurricanes that destroy everything in their pathmdash;all are here to remind us of how little control we have over the natural world. Dramatic photographs and eyewitness accounts recall the devastation wrought by these events, and the peoplemdash;both heroes and foolsmdash;that are caught up in the earth's relentless forces. PEerie, fascinating, and often moving, these tales of geologic history and human fortitude and folly will stay with you long after you put the book down.

• Author
• Donald R. Prothero

• Format
• hardcover

• Pages
• 307

• Publisher
• Johns Hopkins University Press

• Language
• english

• ISBN
• 9781421401478

• Genres
• science, geology, history, palaeontology, evolution

• Release date
• 2011