A Land in Motion: California's San Andreas Fault - Softcover

Collier, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520218973 ISBN 13: 9780520218970

Publisher: University of California Press, 1999

Synopsis

The San Andreas Fault is the most famous fault on Earth, running nearly the entire length of western California from just north of the Mexican border to the Mendocino coast. It is a very active tectonic boundary which directly affects the lives of more than twenty million people. The San Andreas Fault has been responsible for shaping much that is beautiful about California, and it also has the capacity to destroy the communities that lie along its course. A Land in Motion provides a geologic tour of the San Andreas Fault in an accessible narrative punctuated with dramatic color illustrations, lively anecdotes, and authoritative information about earthquakes.

As he tours the length of the fault, Michael Collier provides a valuable overview of plate tectonics and gives a geologic history of the San Andreas Fault written for non-scientists. He discusses the evolution of seismology as a science and traces the knowledge that scientists have gleaned about earthquakes and plate tectonics from their work on the San Andreas Fault. Collier looks into human history as well, discussing major earthquakes that have hit the San Andreas, including the famous San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the San Fernando quake of 1971, the Loma Prieta quake of 1989, the Landers quake of 1992, and many lesser temblors.

Collier illustrates his text with magnificent photographs that highlight some of the most beloved landscapes in California. He provides excellent views of the fault throughout the state―of Crystal Springs reservoir near San Francisco, of Pinnacles National Monument east of Monterey, of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore near San Francisco, and more.

Collier concludes his tour of the San Andreas Fault with a provocative discussion on earthquake prediction versus earthquake planning that all Californians―and all who live where earthquakes occur―will want to read.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

The San Andreas Fault -- running nearly the entire length of western California, from just north of the Mexican border to the Mendocino coast -- is the most famous fault on earth. An active tectonic boundary, it directly affects the lives of more than twenty million people. Movement along this fault has the capacity to destroy communities along and near its path.

The San Andreas Fault has shaped much that is beautiful about California as well -- Mendocino, Point Reyes National Seashore, Tomales Bay, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Pinnacles National Monument, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, Joshua Tree National Park, and more. These landscapes are captured in author Michael Collier's stunning aerial photographs.

As he tours the length of the fault, Collier provides a valuable overview of plate tectonics and a cogent geologic history of the fault, written for the non-scientist. He discusses the evolution of seismology and traces the knowledge that scientists have gleaned about earthquakes and plate tectonics from their work on the San Andreas. As he concludes, "Each generation adds its experience to a collective human understanding of the processes involved.... But life and, so far, earthquakes are unpredictable".

Unpredictable though they may be for now, earthquakes and the San Andreas are made much more understandable by this clearly written and beautifully illustrated book.

From the Back Cover:

"THE SAN ANDREAS is the grinding, growling interface between two great pieces of the earth's crust, each moving its separate way. This is the fault that has cleaved volcanoes, opened seaways, and split mountains. And yet, driving south of Paicines on California Highway 25, I wasn't sure just where it was".

So begins Michael Collier's quest to see and understand the San Andreas Fault, the legendary geologic reality that looms large in the lives of all Californians, try as they may to keep the knowledge of its power at a remove from their daily activities. Join him on his journey, and meet the fault and the people who study it. This book will give the reader a new appreciation for science's practical applicability as well as nature's authority.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0520218973
• ISBN 13: 9780520218970
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128