The Myth of Solid Ground: Earthquakes, Prediction, and the Fault Line Between Reason and Faith - Softcover

Ulin, David L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0143035258 ISBN 13: 9780143035251

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2005

Synopsis

Earthquakes are one of the great unsolved geological mysteries. Attempts to predict them have ranged from studies of California's fault lines by USGS geologists to the work of an odd assortment of psychics and apocalyptics who base their sometimes startlingly accurate forecasts on everything from changes in the earth's magnetic fields to the behavior of whales. The Myth of Solid Ground is a journey, both personal and cultural, through the world of earthquakes and earthquake prediction, one that seeks a middle ground between science and superstition, while also looking for a larger context in which seismicity might make sense. An excellent primer on the science of seismology, The Myth of Solid Ground looks at earthquakes as the ultimate metaphor for living with impending disaster.

About this title

Review:

A subtle, personal and adventurous exploration of what an immense natural phenomenon means in our culture at large. ("Los Angeles Times")

About the Author:

David L. Ulin is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times and LA Weekly. His work has also appeared in GQ, the Nation, New York Times Book Review, and Atlantic Monthly. Ulin is the editor of two acclaimed anthologies of writing about Los Angeles, where he lives.

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0143035258
• ISBN 13: 9780143035251
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304