Nature on the Rampage: Our Violent Earth (Special Publications Series 21, No. 3. - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0870445928 ISBN 13: 9780870445927

Publisher: National Geographic Society, 1986

Synopsis

Through the ages, humankind has sought to comprehend the natural scourges so vividly depicted in this book - earthquakes and volcanic upheavals, droughts and floods, hurricanes and tornadoes, biological outbreaks ranging from locust plagues to epidemic diseases. The Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder, who died in the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79, saw such "conflagrations" as "a punishment inflicted upon us for our luxury". Today, though, scientists have puzzled out many of the mechanisms behind nature's awesome powers.

But even as our ability to explain and forecast nature's rampages increases, our vulnerability to them remains a humbling reality. For example, the effects of prolonged drought still rack parts of Africa, and malaria continues to afflict millions in the tropics. In one case, research focuses on global weather patters; in the other, on the microscopic realm of parasites.

From disaster areas to high-tech laboratories, from ancient times to the present, Nature on the Rampage takes us on a gripping journey, sometimes terrifying but always illuminating. Through incisive text and more than 130 memorable illustrations, it examines nature's violent moods - and worldwide efforts to prevent natural hazards from becoming catarophes.

Edition details

• Publisher: National Geographic Society
• Publication date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0870445928
• ISBN 13: 9780870445927
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 199
• Editor: Donald J. Crump