- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
Want a NOOK? Explore Now
Despite growing evidence of geothermic activity under America's first and foremost national park, it took geologists a long time to realize that there was actually a volcano beneath Yellowstone. And then, why couldn't they find the caldera or crater? Because, as an aerial photograph finally revealed, the caldera is 45 miles wide, encompassing all of Yellowstone. What will happen, in human terms, when it erupts?
Greg Breining explores the shocking answer to this question and others in a scientific yet accessible look at the enormous natural disaster brewing beneath the surface of the United States. Yellowstone is one of the world's five "super volcanoes." When it erupts, much of the nation will be hit hard.
Though historically Yellowstone has erupted about every 600,000 years, it has not done so for 630,000, meaning it is 30,000 years overdue. Starting with a scenario of what will happen when Yellowstone blows, this fascinating study describes how volcanoes function and includes a timeline of famous volcanic eruptions throughout history.
Greg Breining writes about the environment, adventure, and worldwide travel for The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Sports Illustrated, Audubon, and other publications. His books include A Hard-Water World, Minnesota Yesterday & Today, Wild Shore, and Return of the Eagle, among others. Breining lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. gregbreining.com
Chapter 1 The big blast 11
Chapter 2 Yellowstone today 23
Chapter 3 Natural wonders 65
Chapter 4 Evolving geology 87
Chapter 5 The yellowstone puzzle 107
Chapter 6 Distant death 129
Chapter 7 Most-super volcanoes 149
Chapter 8 The deadliest volcanoes 175
Chapter 9 The next big blast 227
Glossary 243
References 247
Index 250
About the Author 256
Anonymous
Posted January 5, 2012
The majority of the book is a historical account of Yellowstone. I was expecting a little more on Yellowstone as a super volcano and the predicted effects of an eruption.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.TwinsfanLR
Posted March 27, 2010
I Also Recommend:
I got this book because I thought it would be really cool to learn about Super Volcanoes, turns out only chapter 1 and chapter 9 are really about Super Volcanoes. The rest of the book is a geology lesson or 'Volcanoes in Human History' Breining fills a majority of his book with information straight out of that book, which albeit interesting, is like I said not what i was looking for. You mine as well read the books listed below for what you get out of this.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 21, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted January 19, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted March 28, 2010
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
Despite growing evidence of geothermic activity under America's first and foremost national park, it took geologists a long time to realize that there was actually a volcano beneath Yellowstone. And then, why couldn't they find the caldera or crater? Because, as an aerial photograph finally revealed, the caldera is 45 miles wide, encompassing all of Yellowstone. What will happen, in human terms, when it erupts?
Greg Breining explores the ...