The Great Quake
In the tradition of Erik Larson s Isaac s Storm, a riveting narrative about the biggest earthquake in recorded history in North America the 1964 Alaskan earthquake that demolished the city of Valdez and obliterated the coastal village of Chenega and the scientist sent to look for geological clues to explain the dynamics of earthquakes, who helped to confirm the then controversial theory of plate tectonics On March 27, 1964, at 5 36 p.m., the biggest earthquake ever recorded in North America and the second biggest ever in the world, measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale struck Alaska, devastating coastal towns and villages and killing than 130 people in what was then a relatively sparsely populated region In a riveting tale about the almost unimaginable brute force of nature, New York Times science journalist Henry Fountain, in his first trade book, re creates the lives of the villagers and townspeople living in Chenega, Anchorage, and Valdez describes the sheer beauty of the geology of the region, with its towering peaks and 20 mile long glaciers and reveals the impact of the quake on the towns, the buildings, and the lives of the inhabitants George Plafker, a geologist for the U.S Geological Survey with years of experience scouring the Alaskan wilderness, is asked to investigate the Prince William Sound region in the aftermath of the quake, to better understand its origins His work confirmed the then controversial theory of plate tectonics that explained how and why such deadly quakes occur, and how we can plan for the next one. Best Read [ The Great Quake ] author [ Henry Fountain ] For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr The Great Quake How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain is a wonderful history and science book that I enjoyed thoroughly Two subjects I love and earthquakes are exciting and scary at the same time It was interesting to find out about what life was like in Alaska before the quakes and after the big quake Individual stories and an overall view of society prior, during, and after A lot of wonderful information in a way that did no The Great Quake How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding of the Planet by Henry Fountain is a wonderful history and science book that I enjoyed thoroughly Two subjects I love and earthquakes are exciting and scary at the same time It was interesting to find out about what life was like in Alaska before the quakes and after the big quake Individual stories and an overall view of society prior, during, and after A lot of wonderful information in a way that did not fo...When I saw this cover, I knew I wanted to readabout the great quake in Alaska on March 27, 1964 The earthquake that I can remember seeing the images of houses lifted in the air while roads sunk several feet below right down the street The subtitle is How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding Of The Planet and this book certainly fulfilled that promise I have always been fascinated by geology My grandfather took us on rock digs from the time we could walk So When I saw this cover, I knew I wanted to readabout the great quake in Alaska on March 27, 1964 The earthquake that I can remember seeing the images of houses lifted in the air while roads sunk several feet below right down the street The subtitle is How the Biggest Earthquake in North America Changed Our Understanding Of The Planet and this book certainly fulfilled that promise I have always been fascinated by geology My grandfather took us on rock digs from the time we could walk So this made me want to understand exactly what is going on deep w...When I was growing up in the early 1960s my grandfather was corresponding with Maurice Ewing and William Donn of the Lamont Geological Observatory Gramps had been interested in their work since 1958 when he read a Harper s Magazine article by Betty Friedan called The Coming Ice Age about their research.I didn t know that Project Moho, dr... The ground itself was starting to break into strange, angular blocks, some rotating up and others down It was as if swarms of organisms were inside the soil. For approximately five minutes on March 27, 1964, Alaska shook It was the largest recorded earthquake in North America, at a 9.2 on the Richter scale, second only to the big one , a 9.5 in Chile in 1960 Henry Fountain tells the geological and personal stories around this earthquake, and the tsunamis that lead to the most loss of life d The ground itself was starting to break into strange, angular blocks, some rotating up and others down It was as if swarms of organisms were inside the soil. For approximately five minutes on March 27, 1964, Alaska shook It was the largest recorded earthquake in North America, at a 9.2 on the Richter scale, second only to the big one , a 9.5 in Chile in 1960 Henry Fountain tells the geological and personal stories around this earthquake, and the tsunamis that lead to the most loss of life down the Pacific coast in Oregon and California He reports, relying on the words of the people who lived it to weave the story We hear from a number of people in the towns of Chenega and Valdez that were deeply effected, and th...I first saw the author of this book on CSPAN s BookTV, and thought it sounded interesting Also, I can remember watching the news coverage of this on my family s black and white TV way back when In this narrative the author does not just cover what up to this point is the most powerful earth quake to happen in North America, 9.2 on the Richter Scale and second most powerful anywhere, but also how it affected the understanding andimportantly the a I first saw the author of this book on CSPAN s BookTV, and thought it sounded interesting Also, I can remember watching the news coverage of this on my family s black and white TV way back when In this narrative the author does not just cover what up to this point is the most powerful earth quake to happen in North America, 9.2 on the Richter Scale and second most powerful anywhere, but also how it affected the understanding andimportantly the acceptance of Plate Tectonics in explaining how, why and where earth quakes occur The author tells his story through the eyes of geologist George Plafker He has spent much of the preceding couple of years doing geological research in the quake area and when the quake occurred was quickly sent by the US Geological Survey back to Alaska to see if there was any way to explain the causes and effects of the quake The author takes the time to explain the various theories in the geologi...I received this book through a Good Reads First Reads Give away A very entertaining read, Fountain covers not just the earthquake that struck Alaska on March 27, 1964, but also explores the evolution of the theory of plate tectonics and the history of several of the communities e.g., Anchorage, Valdez, and particularly the small village of Chenega hardest hit by the devastating quake and or the resulting tsunamis The author is equally adept at capturing the terror and destruction of the di I received this book through a...I was there 15 years old at the time, sitting in our livingroom in Valdez when the shaking started Henry Fountain has really captured what it was like to live through this earthquake and the days following That part I knew Wh...Other than required earth science books in school, I have never read anything related to geology I ve never found earthquakes particularly fascinating so I m not sure why I signed up for this book s Goodreads Giveaway However, I was pleasantly surprised with a great book on the biggest earthquake in North America.Mr Fountain wrote in a narrative style It was engaging and easily followed I m not a scientific thinker, so I appreciated that his technical writing was straightforward and easily Other than required earth science books in school, I have never read anything related to geology I ve never found earthquakes particularly fascinating so I m not sure why I signed up for this book s Goodreads Giveaway However, I was pleasantly surprised with a great book on the biggest earthquake in North America.Mr Fountain wrote in a narrative style It was engaging and easily followed I m not a scientific ...A fine book, well written, with interesting characters and human drama This might be a good present for teenaged aspiring scientists, but only if the scientist s parents don t mind you putting ideas into their heads about heading out to remote areas of the world which, even today, may not have a cell phone signal but may have terrifying earthquakes at any moment And bears But I also felt that the book was a bit of a tease, promising a conflict that it didn t deliver Specifically, I felt led A fine book, well written, with interesting characters and human drama This might be a good present for teenaged aspiring scientists, but only if the scientist s parents don t mind you putting ideas into their heads about heading out to remote areas of the world which, even today, may not have a cell phone signal but may have terrifying earthquakes at any moment And bears But I also felt that the book was a bit of a tease, promising a conflict that it didn t deliver Specifically, I felt led to believe that the author would tell us the real life story of a plucky scientific outsider George Plafker who took on a hide bound establishment to champion a theory continental drift which is accepted as truth today but was previously viewed as incorrect, perhaps even ludicrously silly That s not wha...I picked this up to read because of my intense and many times irrational fear of earthquakes figuring this might help ease some of my terror by providing some scientific background and explanation of earthquakes While it was a great read, and I was absolutely fascinated by everything I read, it did nothing to help quell my fear If anything, I amconcerned for friends and family on the west coast than I was before I started reading the book My personal feelings and fears aside, the b I picked this up to read because of my intense and many times irrational fear of earthquakes figuring this might help ea...
- 22 July 2017 Henry Fountain
- Hardcover
- 288 pages
- 1101904062
- Henry Fountain
- The Great Quake