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Earthquake Science and Seismic Risk Reduction

  • Book
  • © 2003

Overview

Editors:
  1. Francesco Mulargia

    1. Università degli Studi di Bologna, Italy

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Robert J. Geller

    1. University of Tokyo, Japan

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

Part of the book series: NATO Science Series: IV: (NAIV, volume 32)

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Table of contents (8 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages N3-xviii
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  2. Modeling earthquakes

    • Francesco Mulargia, Robert J. Geller
    Pages 1-19

  3. The classical view of earthquakes

    • Francesco Mulargia, Robert J. Geller
    Pages 20-101

  4. The physics of complex systems: applications to earthquake

    • Francesco Mulargia, Robert J. Geller
    Pages 102-147

  5. Time-independent hazard

    • Francesco Mulargia, Robert J. Geller
    Pages 148-180

  6. Time-dependent hazard estimates and forecasts, and their uncertainties

    • Francesco Mulargia, Robert J. Geller
    Pages 181-216

  7. Gathering new data

    • Francesco Mulargia, Robert J. Geller
    Pages 217-249

  8. Seismic risk mitigation

    • Francesco Mulargia, Robert J. Geller
    Pages 250-283

  9. Earthquake prediction and public policy

    • Francesco Mulargia, Robert J. Geller
    Pages 284-329

  10. Back Matter

    Pages 330-338
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Keywords

About this book

What is the first thing that ordinary people, for whom journalists are the proxy, ask when they meet a seismologist? It is certainly nothing technical like "What was the stress drop of the last earthquake in the Imperial Valley?" It is a sim­ ple question, which nevertheless summarizes the real demands that society has for seismology. This question is "Can you predict earthquakes?" Regrettably, notwithstanding the feeling of omnipotence induced by modem technology, the answer at present is the very opposite of "Yes, of course". The primary motivation for the question "Can you predict earthquakes?" is practical. No other natural phenomenon has the tremendous destructive power of a large earthquake, a power which is rivaled only by a large scale war. An earth­ quake in a highly industrialized region is capable of adversely affecting the econ­ omy of the whole world for several years. But another motivation is cognitive. The aim of science is 'understanding' nature, and one of the best ways to show that we understand a phenomenon is the ability to make accurate predictions.

Reviews

From the reviews of the first edition:

"This is a comprehensive and up-to-date book mainly on earthquake prediction, in the practical sense of including policy issues as well as in the sense that ‘once we can predict something, we understand it’. … This book should be read by everybody interested in earthquake prediction and seismic hazard mitigation, expert or not, scientist or administrator. It … makes a good reference. Each chapter contains a comprehensive set of references to recent literature. A CD-ROM with color figures is included." (Christian Goltz, Surveys in Geophysics, Vol. 27, 2006)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Università degli Studi di Bologna, Italy

    Francesco Mulargia

  • University of Tokyo, Japan

    Robert J. Geller

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Earthquake Science and Seismic Risk Reduction

  • Editors: Francesco Mulargia, Robert J. Geller

  • Series Title: NATO Science Series: IV:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0041-3

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2003

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-1778-0Published: 30 November 2003

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-010-0041-3Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 1568-1238

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVIII, 338

  • Topics: Geophysics/Geodesy, Complex Systems, Statistical Physics and Dynamical Systems

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