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Title details for Quakeland by Kathryn Miles - Available

Quakeland

On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake

by Kathryn Miles
Bernadette Dunne
Audiobook
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1 of 1 copy available
A journey around the United States in search of the truth about the threat of earthquakes leads to spine-tingling discoveries, unnerving experts, and ultimately the kind of preparations that will actually help guide us through disasters. It’s a road trip full of surprises.
 
Earthquakes. You need to worry about them only if you’re in San Francisco, right? Wrong. We have been making enormous changes to subterranean America, and Mother Earth, as always, has been making some of her own. . . . The consequences for our real estate, our civil engineering, and our communities will be huge because they will include earthquakes most of us do not expect and cannot imagine—at least not without reading Quakeland. Kathryn Miles descends into mines in the Northwest, dissects Mississippi levee engineering studies, uncovers the horrific risks of an earthquake in the Northeast, and interviews the seismologists, structual engineers, and emergency managers around the country who are addressing this ground shaking threat.
As Miles relates, the era of human-induced earthquakes began in 1962 in Colorado after millions of gallons of chemical-weapon waste was pumped underground in the Rockies. More than 1,500 quakes over the following seven years resulted. The Department of Energy plans to dump spent nuclear rods in the same way. Evidence of fracking’s seismological impact continues to mount. . . . Humans as well as fault lines built our “quakeland”.
What will happen when Memphis, home of FedEx's 1.5-million-packages-a-day hub, goes offline as a result of an earthquake along the unstable Reelfoot Fault? FEMA has estimated that a modest 7.0 magnitude quake (twenty of these happen per year around the world) along the Wasatch Fault under Salt Lake City would put a $33 billion dent in our economy. When the Fukushima  reactor melted down, tens of thousands were displaced. If New York’s Indian Point nuclear power plant blows, ten million people will be displaced. How would that evacuation even begin?
Kathryn Miles’ tour of our land is as fascinating and frightening as it is irresistibly compelling.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 29, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781524776794
      • File size: 350967 KB
      • Duration: 12:11:10

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      November 1, 2017

      The only people in America who need to worry about earthquakes are those living in California, right? Wrong, says journalist Miles (fine arts, Chatham Univ., Pittsburgh). Starting the book with a description of the layers of the earth and a startling true story of the terrific damage an earthquake can cause in a matter of minutes, Miles will have listeners' attention as she proves that there are earthquakes everywhere in America. From Salt Lake City to Memphis (and a visit to the biggest FedEx hub) to Yellowstone National Park, the San Andreas Fault, Hoover Dam, and even New York City, interviews with expert seismologists and geologists warn about the dangers waiting under the earth. A larger section examines human-induced earthquakes caused by mining and hydrofracking and the incredible damage done to water tables and the stability of surrounding lands. Specifics, such as how soil can liquefy during an earthquake and intraplate faults, provide listeners with a solid foundation of knowledge. Narrator Bernadette Dunne does a fine job of hitting Miles's sarcastic notes, but the gravelly tone of her voice may grind on some ears. VERDICT An eye-opening examination of the true dangers that could and will occur across the land. Perfect for fans of the science and wit of Mary Roach and geology and seismology. ["A relevant topic that any reader will find compelling": LJ 9/15/17 review of the Dutton hc.]--Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI

      Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Kathryn Miles lays bare the U.S.'s lack of earthquake preparedness. The news is pretty grim, but Miles has a light touch and a sense of absurdist humor, and Bernadette Dunne's narration is conversational, energetic, and wry. Miles explains the science and tells lots of fascinating stories, and Dunne brings it all to life with warmth and spirit. Together, they are the proverbial spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down. Most communities don't build according to earthquake codes, and the dire state of dams is ignored. Seismic activity has increased, thanks to fracking for natural gas, and now Oklahoma has more earthquakes than any other continental U.S. state. Nuclear power plants sit atop fault lines. Miles encourages listeners to do what they can--pack a go-bag and have a family emergency plan to prepare for a natural disaster. A.B. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 26, 2017
      Science journalist Miles (Superstorm) details a potential new source of anxiety for Americans: seismicity. She cites the unpredictable nature of earthquakes and the fact that there are over 2,100 known faults on the U.S. geological map. Sketching grim scenarios of potential disaster, Miles suggests that the American infrastructure is wholly unprepared to withstand the next rupture. She begins with the Hebgen Lake, Mont., quake of 1959, which caused $11 million in damages ($70 million today), to illustrate the suddenness of tremors and their devastating ripple effects. Miles then takes readers on a cross-country tour of seismic hot spots. She meets with colorful engineers and geologists to peer below the Earth’s surface and gauge the pressure being imposed on it internally as well as externally by human constructions such as the Hoover Dam, Mississippi River levees, and the Steinway Tunnel (which connects Manhattan and Queens). Miles also confronts hydraulic fracturing in Oklahoma, where increasingly powerful earthquakes have spread over a larger territory, making it the most seismically active of the Lower 48 states. Yet despite myriad technological advances, predicting the next earthquake remains nearly impossible. Mixing geological primer with apocalyptic warning, Miles makes clear “how fragile—and volatile—the ground beneath our feet really is.” Agent: Wendy Strothman, Strothman Agency.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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