Earth's Natural Hazards

Book excerpt: OUR PLANET IS A DYNAMIC PLACE There are numerous recent geological occurrences of life-changing events: earthquakes in Japan and the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the tsunami in South Asia, hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean and typhoons in the Pacific, widespread flooding in the Midwest, as well as wildfires in California to name a few. Earth's Natural Hazards: Understanding Natural Disasters%Catastrophes will help students understand the geologic background of these life-changing events and the dynamic and sometimes interrelated nature, of the Earth's geologic processes. This book goes beyond the geologic aspect of the disasters and discusses the human impact, climate change, and biological hazards that often result from major life-changing events. Earth's Natural Hazards features: a full-color text with photos, graphs, and maps to help illustrate the broad range of natural disasters that are discussed. Questions for Thought at the end of each chapter. several web sites that serve as additional resources. brief lists of selected references and reading material. a discussion of objects from outer space which provides information about hazards that are extraterrestrial.