Product Description

This book focuses on natural disasters: how the normal processes of the Earth concentrate their energies and deal heavy blows to humans and their structures. It is concerned with how the natural world operates and, in so doing, kills and maims humans and destroys their works. Throughout the book, certain themes are maintained: energy sources underlying disasters; plate tectonics and climate change; earth processes operating in rock, water, and atmosphere; significance of geologic time; complexities of multiple variables operating simultaneously; and detailed and readable case studies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1128698 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback

About the Author
Pat Abbott is a professor at San Diego State University

Customer Reviews

A great book for beginners interested in this topic!!!
I just finished taking a course at Florida International University having to do with natural disasters and this book was the required text. I found the book very interesting and informative. The different forms of natural disasters were seperated by chapters and were very well explained. I found it very easy to learn about natural disasters using this book.

Natural Disasters makes geology interesting!
As a developer of geology and earth science college textbooks for major publishers, I've worked with a lot of excellent books. Patrick Abbott's Natural Disasters, second edition, is one of the most interesting, readable, informative, and engaging books available. It doesn't have all the four-color diagrams and photos, and doesn't need them. The book tells many fascinating stories that engage students (e.g., the Lisbon earthquake of 1755), relates these natural events to humanity, and offers outstanding short summaries of geologic phenomena and events (e.g., the K-T extinction). This is one of the few books I keep on my desk to illustrate geologic events and principles for friends and coworkers. Highly recommended!

Thank you so much!
The textbook arrived in a plastic wrap brand new and quickly. I would definitely buy from this seller again.