Quakeland: On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake

This book gets 5 stars for being both informative and readable, with both the human element (personal drama, and getting to know the scientists) and the technical information (written for the lay person). I learned a lot. I knew that fracking caused seismic activity, but didn't know how much or where before this book.

I live in California not too far from a high risk area. Though I do have earthquake insurance, my home is mostly concrete block -- not good! It's time for more earthquake drills with the kids! And also to make sure our one-year supply of water bottles is still fresh enough. We need enough to share with our dear neighbors since, like most people, they probably have NO plan in place.

One typo worth mentioning: On Page 126, the show more Loma Prieta earthquake was listed as 1992, though it was actually 1989. But the author knows this, as she got it right elsewhere, so it's just a typo. (I know the year of Loma Prieta because, though too far away to be at risk, I was close enough to feel it, and heard my co-workers racing down the hall yelling: "Earthquake, earthquake!" It's a day I won't forget.

This book is good motivation to improve my preparations. Thanks Kathryn! show less

Kathryn Miles' 'Quakeland' offers readers a broad and engaging view on earthquake histories, current risks, and future threats in the United States. Drawing on what appears to be considerable research, the author sheds light on areas of the contiguous U.S. not currently considered seismically active by the general population, but which nevertheless either were active in the past, or will one day likely become active.

I found it particularly entertaining when I woke up on April 5th to find there had been a magnitude 4.8 earthquake in the Northeast U.S. - just the previous evening, I had read with some surprise about the plethora of fault lines criss-crossing the New York area and surrounding region. Talk about bringing a book to life. show more

This is a valuable read for those wishing to learn more about future seismic risks in the U.S., as well as current seismic theory in the less-discussed parts of the country (i.e. San Andreas is of course discussed, but is nowhere near the only topic). The author keeps the book light-hearted and entertaining, without overdoing it and causing the book to lose credibility. It is in the realm of 'introductory' reading for the field, but to me this is a plus - everyone knows about San Andreas, but do you know about the Nemaha Ridge and the seismic risk it possesses for cities like Omaha, Nebraska? (Hint: a lot). Kathryn Miles will lead the way discussing this and more.

Four stars for a pleasing-to-read book laced with a considerable amount of fun facts and tidbits about the current seismic state of the country. show less

In July, 1964 my husband and his family took a vacation out West. Although my husband was only twelve years old, he never forgot the "road that went into the lake" at Yellowstone National Park. In 1959 there had been an earthquake that caused a massive landslide into a lake. The lake rose 22 feet, so that the roads that once went to the Cabin Creek Campground ended at the lake, and new roads had to be made.

Here he was, camping with his family in an area that had been hit by a killer earthquake in his time. It was memorable.

Across the road was the canyon wall that caused the country's largest landslide ; it had buried nineteen people.

The first chapter of Quakeland recounts the story of a family, just like my husband's, who had gone show more camping in Yellowstone. The author takes us through their day, searching for the 'right' camping spot, setting up camp, and getting ready for bed. And then we are taken through the horrendous experience the campers endured when the earthquake collapsed the mountain side, sloshed the lake back and forth, creating winds so strong it ripped the clothing off campers, and then deluged the area with a wall of water that drove a stick into a camper's knee socket. Afterwards the lake was 22 feet higher.

It's enough to make me grateful my folks never took me out West camping.

Quakeland is full of stories that will send shivers up your spine. Not only because naturally occurring fault lines that transverse our country cause quakes, which in our ignorance we have built upon--cities like Memphis and Salt Lake City--but also because of human activity that causes earthquakes: dams and mines and fracking and even building tall buildings.

I used to be pretty smug about my home state being 'safe'. We can be hit by tornadoes, but no hurricanes. We aren't known for earthquakes. Yet, Michigan has had its earthquakes and likely will again. There are fault lines in the Upper Peninsula, through the center of the state, and on the Lake Huron side in the "thumb." The state can be shaken by quakes from the New Madrid fault.

When our son was growing up we went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to camp. We took day trips, apparently all along fault lines! One day we toured the Quincy Mine. This copper mine was effectively closed in 1946. We were almost the only ones there that day. The tour took us to the 7th level of the mine. In 1914 the miners working at the Quincy mine caused a rock burst. Any time we redistribute pressure the earth will respond. Mining is a human-created cause of earthquakes, and the Keweenaw mining area has a history of quakes.

The biggest earthquake in Michigan history, magnitude 4.6, occurred in 1947 near Coldwater, MI, a flat, agricultural area in Southern Michigan just above the state line. In 1994 the state was hit by a magnitude 3.4 quake centered near Potterville, just west of Lansing. And in 2015 a magnitude 4.2 quake was centered in Galesburg just south of Kalamazoo. We have lived in Lansing, and a half-hour down the road from Coldwater and Kalamazoo. Four months ago a 2.2 quake occurred in Grosse Point, just east of Detroit.

So much for being 'safe' from earthquakes.

Miles style was entertaining and the information very accessible. Readers who enjoy learning about the natural world, disasters or potential disasters, and the implications of the energy industry's impact on our natural world will enjoy this book. Just be warned: this book may keep you awake at night.

I received a free book from the publisher through a Goodreads giveaway. show less

A very interesting and informative book that still manages to be entertaining.it is sobering to think that some of the information is unlikely to be heeded by those that most need to hear it. I’d have liked a few more first person impact stories, but I think it was a conscious choice made by the author to avoid turning it into a book version of the 70’s disaster movies

This attempts to be a catch-all on everything earthquakes, going through money loss, eyewitness reports, and a pretty substantial expose on dams. As an opener, I suppose it could have had a few more exciting starts... but later on, when we got into the historical accounts of earthquakes, I think it got better.

Especially when we got to fracking.

Later, when we got into the real science of seismology, I really began to enjoy it. I was looking for real science, after all, but, of course, there's plenty about this that still seems to encourage con men. "I will predict! For a low, low cost of..." :)

I hope, one of these days, some REAL money will be poured into the field so we have real data.

This book was okay. Not the best, but it isn't bad.

Very interesting.

I won this in a GOODREADS giveaway.