Maybe that plain old rock has gleaming jewels inside. Maybe Africa and South America used to be best friends. Maybe a clam that died 300 million years ago is in your backyard. What secrets is Earth hiding? These twenty-two poems leave no stone unturned in exploring the world’s natural wonders. Crack this book open and watch geology sparkle.

This is the first book to really make sense of the dizzying array of information that has emerged in recent decades about earthquakes. Susan Hough, a research seismologist in one of North America's most active earthquake zones and an expert at communicating this complex science to the public, separates fact from fiction. She fills in many of the blanks that remained after plate tectonics theory, in the 1960s, first gave us a rough idea of just what earthquakes are about. How do earthquakes start? How do they stop? Do earthquakes occur at regular intervals on faults? If not, why not? Are earthquakes predictable? How hard will the ground shake following an earthquake of a given magnitude? How does one quantify future seismic hazard? As Hough recounts in brisk, jargon-free prose, improvements in earthquake recording capability in the 1960s and 1970s set the stage for a period of rapid development in earthquake science. Although some formidable enigmas have remained, much has been learned on critical issues such as earthquake prediction, seismic hazard assessment, and ground motion prediction. This book addresses those issues. Because earthquake science is so new, it has rarely been presented outside of technical journals that are all but opaque to nonspecialists. Earthshaking Science changes all this. It tackles the issues at the forefront of modern seismology in a way most readers can understand. In it, an expert conveys not only the facts, but the passion and excitement associated with research at the frontiers of this fascinating field. Hough proves, beyond a doubt, that this passion and excitement is more accessible than one might think.

What do a brother and sister do when their sort-of-mad scientist dad takes them along the San Andreas Fault, to new Madrid Missouri and other earthquake prone places? They are there for the "Big One" of course! Join them on an earthshaking adventure and learn all about earthquakes from the past, how we might predict them in the future and oops, well, gotta go as you can seeeee! Winner of the 2007 iParenting Award. Children ages 7-14 will be thrilled as the characters try to save the day. The kids also learn a lot about science. What child can resist learning about the power of mother-nature and the tools to stay safe as these interested kids confront nature head-on! Like all of Carole Marsh's Mysteries, this mystery incorporates history, geography, culture and cliffhanger chapters that will keep kids begging for more! This mystery includes SAT words, educational facts, fun and humor, built-in book club and activities. Below is the Reading Levels Guide for this book: Grade Levels: 3-6 Accelerated Reader Reading Level: 5.2 Accelerated Reader Points: 2 Accelerated Reader Quiz Number: 118324 Lexile Measure: 780 Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Level: O Developmental Assessment Level: 34

Combines facts with photographs of volcanoes and earthquake-affected regions to introduce readers to such topics as underwater volcanoes and plate tectonics while offering insight into the world-changing power of natural disasters.

Eruptions. Explosions. Shock waves. Tsunamis. The almighty explosion that destroyed the volcano island of Krakatoa was followed by an immense tsunami that killed more than thirty thousand people. The effects of the waves were felt as far away as France, and bodies were washed up in Zanzibar. Today, one hundred and twenty-five years after the volcano erupted in one of the greatest catastrophes the world has ever known, the name Krakatoa is still synonymous with disaster. In this illustrated account based on Simon Winchester's bestselling Krakatoa, the colossal explosion is brought to vivid life. From the ominous warnings leading up to the eruption to the wave of killings it provoked, here is an engaging and insightful look at what happened on the day the world exploded.