By the world-renowned seismologist, a riveting history of natural
disasters, their impact on our culture, and new ways of thinking about
the ones to come
Earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes--they stem from the
same forces that give our planet life. Earthquakes give us natural
springs; volcanoes produce fertile soil. It is only when these forces
exceed our ability to withstand them that they become disasters.
Together they have shaped our cities and their architecture; elevated
leaders and toppled governments; influenced the way we think, feel,
fight, unite, and pray. The history of natural disasters is a history of
ourselves.
In The Big Ones, leading seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones offers a bracing
look at some of the world's greatest natural disasters, whose
reverberations we continue to feel today. At Pompeii, Jones explores how
a volcanic eruption in the first century AD challenged prevailing views
of religion. She examines the California floods of 1862 and the limits
of human memory. And she probes more recent events--such as the Indian
Ocean tsunami of 2004 and the American hurricanes of 2017--to illustrate
the potential for globalization to humanize and heal.
With population in hazardous regions growing and temperatures around the
world rising, the impacts of natural disasters are greater than ever
before. The Big Ones is more than just a work of history or science;
it is a call to action. Natural hazards are inevitable; human
catastrophes are not. With this energizing and exhaustively researched
book, Dr. Jones offers a look at our past, readying us to face down the
Big Ones in our future.
