Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis: A Complete Introduction: Teach Yourself

by David Rothery

Overview

How do volcanoes erupt, what makes earthquakes so destructive, and why do tsunamis happen?

Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis answers these questions and more, giving you everything you need to know about these powerful natural phenomena. It covers the plate tectonic background to Earth processes, where magma is made and how it erupts, volcano types, eruption hazards and how they are monitored, faults and earthquakes, the causes of tsunamis and tsunami preparedness. You will examine many examples of these frightening events, find out to what extent they can be predicted and mitigated against, and come to realize how they are related and the impact they have on human society and the natural world.

Written by Dr David Rothery, a volcanologist, geologist, planetary scientist and Professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University, Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Tsunamis: A Complete Introduction is designed to give you everything you need to know, all in one place. It covers the key areas that students are expected to be confident in, outlining the basics in clear English and providing added-value features like a glossary of essential terms and even examples of questions you might be asked in your seminar or exam.

The book covers the essentials of most university courses, with an introduction on how the Earth moves, followed by separate sections on volcanoes (including eruptions, types of volcano, volcanic hazards, volcanoes and climate, monitoring volcanoes, predicting eruptions and living with volcanoes), earthquakes (including faults, measurement, seismic monitoring, prediction, prevention and preparedness) and tsunamis.

The colour plates referred to in the book can be downloaded from the Teach Yourself online library or accessed through the Teach Yourself Library app.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781473601727
Publisher:	John Murray Press
Publication date:	12/03/2015
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	40 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David Rothery is a volcanologist, geologist, planetary scientist and Professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

1 Introduction 1

2 How the Earth moves 7

Magma, minerals and rocks

Compositional layering of the Earth's interior

Mechanical layering of the Earth's interior

Plate tectonics, earthquakes and magma generation

Volcanoes and plate boundaries

3 Eruptions 37

Magma migration and magma rise

How rising magma evolves

Volcano plumbing

Eruptions

Eruption triggers

The sizes of eruptions

Eruption frequency and duration

Non-erupting active volcanoes

Dormant or extinct?

4 Types of volcano 85

Composite cone volcanoes

Collapsing volcanoes

Shield volcanoes

Monogenetic features

Calderas

Subglaciat volcanoes

Undersea volcanoes

5 Volcanic hazards 131

Lava flows

Pyroclastic flows

Fallout

Eruption clouds and air traffic

Debris avalanches

Votcanogenic tsunamis

Lahars

Jökulhlaups

Gases and air pollution

6 Volcanoes and climate 183

Recent volcanic climate disturbances

Volcanoes and human history

Toba

Supervolcanoes

Continental Hood basalts and mass extinctions

7 Monitoring volcanoes 211

Volcano observatories

Seismic monitoring

Microgravity monitoring

Magnetic and electric monitoring

Infrasound

Lahar warnings

Gas analyses

Thermal monitoring

Remote sensing

8 Living with volcanoes 251

Why live near a volcano?

Benefits of volcanoes

Volcanic hazards and volcanic risk

Warnings and crisis management

Getting it right

Disasters in the making?

9 Tectonic earthquakes 285

Faults and earthquakes

Focus, epicentre and seismic waves

Measuring earthquakes

Global seismic monitoring

Prediction and warning

Preventing earthquakes?

10 Living with earthquakes 313

Notable earthquakes

Fatalities from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions compared

Engineering for resilience

Earthquake preparedness

11 Tsunamis 355

What is a tsunami?

Seismogenic tsunamis

Recent seismogenic tsunamis

Tsunami warning systems

Tsunami risk mitigation

Landslide tsunamis

Impact tsunamis

Fact-check answers 399

Glossary 407

Appendix 1 Geological time 419

Appendix 2 Igneous rocks names 421

Index 425