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When the Earth Roars
Lessons from the History of Earthquakes in Japan
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2014
Summary
Japan, which is among the most earthquake-prone regions in the world, has a long history of responding to seismic disasters. However, despite advances in earthquake-related safety technologies, the destructiveness of the magnitude 9 class earthquake and tsunami that struck the country on 3/11 raised profound questions about how societies can deal effectively with seismic hazards. This important book places the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown disaster in historical perspective, examining conceptions of earthquakes since the seventeenth century, the diverse ways actual earthquakes and their aftermath played out, and their enduring social and scientific significance. By looking backward, Gregory Smits identifies future pitfalls to avoid and assesses the allocation of resources for dealing with future earthquake and tsunami disasters. He criticizes Japan’s postwar quest for earthquake prediction and the concept of “characteristic” earthquakes. Smits argues that earthquakes are so chaotic as to be unpredictable, not only geologically but also in their social and cultural effects. Therefore, he contends, the best hope for future disaster mitigation is antiseismic engineering and flexible disaster-relief capabilities. As the first sustained historical analysis of destructive earthquakes and tsunamis, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in Japan, natural disasters, seismology, and environmental history.
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Bibliographic data
Copyright Year
2014
ISBN-Print
978-1-4422-2009-6
ISBN-Online
978-1-4422-2010-2
Publisher
Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham
Language
English
Pages
209
Product Type
Monograph
Table of contents
ChapterPages
Contents No access
Acknowledgments No access
Introduction No access
Chapter One: Setting the Stage No access Pages 1 - 26
Chapter Two: Early Modern Earthquakes and Their Modern Relevance No access Pages 27 - 70
Chapter Three: Nōbi and Great Kantō No access Pages 71 - 94
Chapter Four: Prewar Tsunamigenic Earthquakes in the Northeast No access Pages 95 - 130
Chapter Five: Prediction to Forecasting No access Pages 131 - 158
Chapter Six: Conclusions No access Pages 159 - 184
Glossary of Terms and Entities No access Pages 185 - 192
