By the world-renowned seismologist, a riveting history of natural disasters, their impact on our culture, and new ways of thinking about the ones to come

Earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanoes--they stem from the same forces that give our planet life. Earthquakes give us natural springs; volcanoes produce fertile soil. It is only when these forces exceed our ability to withstand them that they become disasters. Together they have shaped our cities and their architecture; elevated leaders and toppled governments; influenced the way we think, feel, fight, unite, and pray. The history of natural disasters is a history of ourselves.

In The Big Ones, leading seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones offers a bracing look at some of the world's greatest natural disasters, whose reverberations we continue to feel today. At Pompeii, Jones explores how a volcanic eruption in the first century AD challenged prevailing views of religion. She examines the California floods of 1862 and the limits of human memory. And she probes more recent events--such as the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 and the American hurricanes of 2017--to illustrate the potential for globalization to humanize and heal.

With population in hazardous regions growing and temperatures around the world rising, the impacts of natural disasters are greater than ever before. The Big Ones is more than just a work of history or science; it is a call to action. Natural hazards are inevitable; human catastrophes are not. With this energizing and exhaustively researched book, Dr. Jones offers a look at our past, readying us to face down the Big Ones in our future.

• We started tracking this book on July 31, 2017.
• This book was $13.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 103 times in the past 2,926 days.
• The current price of this book is $10.99 last checked 15 hours ago.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past six months is $6.99.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $4.99.
• The lowest price to date was $4.99 last reached on December 23, 2024.
• This book has been $4.99 6 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $13.99 last reached on June 9, 2025.
• This book has been $13.99 23 times since we started tracking it.

• HistoryScience & MedicineBiology & Nature
• Science & MathEarth SciencesNatural Disasters

• Publication Date: April 17, 2018
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 255 Pages
• File Size: 230 KB