Welsh Journals

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Earthquakes. G.A.Eiby. Heinemann, London (1980). pp. 209. ISBN 0 435 35076 4. Price (hardback) £ 7.50. During the past decade there has been an increasing world-wide awareness of both natural and man-made hazards in the environ- ment. Much is undoubtedly due to the way in which improved communications have eliminated both time and distance. The whole world is now almost instantly aware of any major disaster whenever it occurs. The result of this improved knowledge has been the wide- spread realisation that disasters are recurring events to which man and society must either adjust or adapt. On average at least thirty large scale disasters affect the world each year and there are many hundreds of small scale incidents. The average annual death toll from natural hazards now exceeds 250,000 and shows no sign of decreasing: while estimates of the average annual financial loss exceed £ 20 billion. Of these disasters Earth- quakes make the headlines most of all and often account for the greatest mortality rates, although flooding is actually more frequent and causes greater damage in toto. The study of earthquakes has in consequence become an important part of geophysics and this has led to the appearance of a number of both technical and popular works on the subject. This new book by G.A.Eiby falls mid-way in the spectrum. It began as a series of popular radio talks in 1957 which were subsequently published in book form. Since the appearance of the first book however, there has been something of a revolution in seismological thought and a new book rather than a revision of the old was called for. Mr. Eiby, now a seismologist of some 40 years standing with the seismological ob servatory in Wellington, New Zealand, has produced an up-to-date definitive account of seismology which can be read without difficulty by the layman. the new concept of plate tectonics and the role of dilatancy in the mechanism of earthquakes are introduced, lunar seismology has be- come a reality, whilst earthquake prediction appears at last to be an attainable goal. The reader is taken by a series of carefully thought out steps through observation, recording and interpretation of earth- quakes into the earth's interior: the origm of earthquakes is then explained with an indication of where they are most likely to occur. The effect on the oceanic areas and the relation with volcanic activity is described, and earthquake prediction, insurance problems and famous historic earthquakes are finally covered. Additionally lists are supplied of all major earthquakes from 1500 to 1976 with a special section on New Zealand earthquakes for 'local' readers. The book is well illustrated with 92 photographs and 81 diagrams, it investigates a wide range of problems produced by earthquakes and should greatly help future research into mitigation of the effects. But we have to accept that there is no ultimate solution to the earth-