The Great Quake Debate: The Crusader, the Skeptic, and the Rise of Modern Seismology

— —

Susan Hough

The Great Quake Debate

The Crusader, the Skeptic, and the Rise of Modern Seismology

Susan Hough

$72

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

University of Washington Press
23 July 2020

History of the Americas; Volcanology & seismology; The Earth: natural history general; Local history

In the first half of the twentieth century, when seismology was still in in its infancy, renowned geologist Bailey Willis faced off with fellow high-profile scientist Robert T. Hill in a debate with life-or-death consequences for the millions of people migrating west. Their conflict centered on a consequential question: Is southern California earthquake country?

These entwined biographies of Hill and Willis offer a lively, accessible account of the ways that politics and financial interests influenced the development of earthquake science. During this period of debate, severe quakes in Santa Barbara (1925) and Long Beach (1933) caused scores of deaths and a significant amount of damage, offering turning points for scientific knowledge and mainstreaming the idea of earthquake safety.

The Great Quake Debate sheds light on enduring questions surrounding the environmental hazards of our dynamic planet. What challenges face scientists bearing bad news in the public arena? How do we balance risk and the need to sustain communities and cities? And how well has California come to grips with its many faults?

By: Susan Hough
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9780295747361
ISBN 10: 0295747366
Pages: 328
Publication Date: 23 July 2020
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Susan Hough is a research seismologist in Pasadena, California. Her popular-science books include Predicting the Unpredictable: The Tumultuous Science of Earthquake Prediction and Richter's Scale: Measure of an Earthquake, Measure of a Man. She is a past president of the Seismological Society of America and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Reviews for The Great Quake Debate: The Crusader, the Skeptic, and the Rise of Modern Seismology

"""Hough presents a well-researched narrative...Interesting read, tracing the history of this seismic and scientific debate."" ""Seismologist Susan Hough's account offers a revealing glimpse of the personalities and issues within America's geologic community in the early twentieth century. But it also can be read as a cautionary tale about science and society."" ""Hough's book...touches the history of a subfield of earth science that has been only rarely studied before: seismology."" ""This book is historical and biographical writing at its very best."" ""The Great Quake Debate gives all readers—historians, scientists, and interested non-experts—excellent insights into the unfolding of scientific community and scientific investigations of earthquakes in the United States, a topic crucial to public and private life then, and still."""