Natural Disasters (8th Ed)
by Patrick Leon Abbott
McGraw-Hill Science | January 2011 | ISBN-10: 0073369373 | PDF | 512 pages | 141 mb 
http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Disasters-Patrick-Leon-Abbott/dp/0073369373

Natural Disasters, 8th edition, is marked by major changes in organization and expanded coverage of weather and climate. The discussion of natural disasters is based on 4 main energy flows: 1) Earth's internal energy flow underlies earthquakes and volcanoes, 2) the external energy flow from the Sun fuels weather and climate including tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, 3) gravity acts to pull down mass movements of earth and snow, and 4) impacts with asteroids and comets can have major effects on life. The book focuses on the Earth's natural processes and the disasters that occur when the Earth concentrates its energy and releases it to causing death and destruction. Throughout the book, certain themes are maintained:
- energy sources underlying disasters
- plate tectonics and climate change;
- earth processes operating in rock, water, and atmosphere;
- significance of geologic time;
- complexities of multiple variables operating simultaneously;
- detailed and readable case studies.

About the Author 
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/people/graphics/highlight_0808.jpg 
http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/people/faculty/abbott/
Dr. Pat Abbott has been a professor at San Diego State University since 1971. During that time, not only has he advised numerous geology theses, he also developed the popular general education course, 'Natural Disasters'. Pats research interests include sedimentology of Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks of southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, correlation of tectonically displaced terranes, impact of humankind upon the earth, ancient soils and climates, archaeological geology, carbonate depositional environments, and hydrology. He has had the public eye for over 35 years with thousands of appearances on television and radio as well as frequent coverage of professional activities in all local newspapers. Since Pat's retirement he has continued revisions to his text book on Natural Disasters, traveled the world giving scientific lectures on cruise lines, and has been recognized for his untiring devotion and service to the geologic community, receiving the A. Eugene Fritsche Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pacific Section SEPM.

Brief Contents
Preface xiii
Prologue: Energy Flows 1
1 Natural Disasters and the Human Population 7
2 Internal Energy and Plate Tectonics 25
3 Earthquake Geology and Seismology 49
4 Plate Tectonics and Earthquakes 78
5 Earthquake Lessons and Regional Settings 110
6 Volcanic Eruptions: Plate Tectonics and Magmas 141
7 Volcano Case Histories: Killer Events 172
8 Tsunami Versus Wind-Caused Waves 200
9 External Energy Fuels Weather and Climate 223
10 Tornadoes, Lightning, Heat, and Cold 246
11 Hurricanes 278
12 Climate Change 308
13 Floods 342
14 Fire 372
15 Mass Movements 400
16 Impacts with Space Objects 440
Epilogue: Mass Extinctions* 465
Glossary G-1
Credits C-1
Index I-1
*Chapter 17, “The Great Dyings,” is available electronically for all professors to use.