Overview

Japan, which is among the most earthquake-prone regions in the world, has a long history of responding to seismic disasters. However, despite advances in earthquake-related safety technologies, the destructiveness of the magnitude 9 class earthquake and tsunami that struck the country on 3/11 raised profound questions about how societies can deal effectively with seismic hazards. This important book places the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown disaster in historical perspective, examining conceptions of earthquakes since the seventeenth century, the diverse ways actual earthquakes and their aftermath played out, and their enduring social and scientific significance. By looking backward, Gregory Smits identifies future pitfalls to avoid and assesses the allocation of resources for dealing with future earthquake and tsunami disasters. He criticizes Japan’s postwar quest for earthquake prediction and the concept of “characteristic” earthquakes. Smits argues that earthquakes are so chaotic as to be unpredictable, not only geologically but also in their social and cultural effects. Therefore, he contends, the best hope for future disaster mitigation is antiseismic engineering and flexible disaster-relief capabilities. As the first sustained historical analysis of destructive earthquakes and tsunamis, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in Japan, natural disasters, seismology, and environmental history.

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9781442220096

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Reviews

Deeply researched and easily readable...Anyone with a serious interest in Japanese earthquakes should read [this book]. Engineering and Technology Magazine This wise and readable study brings reason to the questions of what we can know about the volatile earth, what the historical record can teach us, and what we can and cannot predict. When the Earth Roars is an important book that should be read widely. -- Jordan Sand, professor of history, Georgetown University

This wise and readable study brings reason to the questions of what we can know about the volatile earth, what the historical record can teach us, and what we can and cannot predict. When the Earth Roars is an important book that should be read widely. -- Jordan Sand, Georgetown University

Deeply researched and easily readable...Anyone with a serious interest in Japanese earthquakes should read [this book]. Engineering and Technology Magazine This wise and readable study brings reason to the questions of what we can know about the volatile earth, what the historical record can teach us, and what we can and cannot predict. When the Earth Roars is an important book that should be read widely. -- Jordan Sand, Georgetown University

Author Information

Gregory Smits is professor of history and Asian studies at Pennsylvania State University.

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