Oregon's Greatest Natural Disasters

by William L Sullivan

Overview

Giant earthquakes and tsunamis devastate western Oregon every 300 to 600 years. The last one hit in 1700, so we're due anytime. This informative, entertaining book tells the stories of Oregon's past floods, fires, and eruptions -- including the Vanport Flood, the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, and the Columbus Day Windstorm. Then it investigates the cycles behind our natural disasters and takes a look at what may happen when the next "Big One" strikes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780981570105
Publisher:	Navillus Press
Publication date:	03/01/2008
Series:	Oregon Guidebooks
Pages:	266
Sales rank:	645,590
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction     7
Ice Age Floods     11
The Controversial Theory of Dr. Bretz     13
Anatomy of a Cataclysm     16
Relics of the Floods     21
Tsunamis     25
Stumps on the Beach     25
Clues in Japan     29
The Mechanics of Tsunamis     30
Tales from 1700     33
True Stories from a Dark Night in 1964     36
When the Sea Returns     41
Earthquakes     49
The Big Ones     49
The Deep Earthquakes     55
Oregon's Other Faults     58
Are You Ready to Rock?     67
Volcanoes     73
Mount Mazama     74
Newberry Crater     79
What Causes Oregon Volcanoes?     83
Mount Saint Helens     85
Mount Hood     92
South Sister     97
Flash Floods     105
A Dark Day in Heppner     105
Flash Floods in Mitchell     112
River Floods     119
The Flood of 1861     119
Floods of the Late 1800s     123
Dams and the Flood of 1943     127
The Vanport Flood     130
The Christmas Week Flood of 1964     136
More High Water Marks     141
Why All the Floods?     145
Thinking Like a River     146
Wind and Weather     155
The Columbus Day Storm     156
Will the Winds Return?     162
Landslides     163
Of Lakes, Rapids, and Beach Cliffs     163
The Mountains Are Restless     164
Rainstorms, Roads, and Clearcuts     166
Forest Fires     177
A Brief History of Fire     177
The Tillamook Burn     180
The Biscuit Fire     185
A Firestorm of Controversy     188
The Many Roles of Fire     193
Beyond the Cycles     199
Understanding Cycles     199
The Impact of Climate Change     203
A Fictional Epilogue     211
A Week of the Future     212
Acknowledgments     249
Bibliography     251
Glossary     259
Index     261
About the Author     264