Explore the vast range of titles available.

\"A truly welcome and refreshing study that puts earthquake impact on history into a proper perspective\" --Amos Nur, Emeritus Professor of Geophysics, Stanford University, California, and author of Apocalypse: Earthquakes, Archaeology, and the Wrath of God.Since antiquity, on every continent, human beings in search of attractive landscapes and economic prosperity have made a Faustian bargain with the risk of devastation by an earthquake. Today, around half of the world's largest cities - as many as sixty - lie in areas of major seismic activity. Many, such as Lisbon, Naples, San Francisco, Tehran and Tokyo, have been severely damaged or destroyed by earthquakes in the past. But throughout history, starting with ancient Jericho, Rome and Sparta, cities have proved to be extraordinarily resilient: only one, Port Royal in the Caribbean, was abandoned after an earthquake.Earth-Shattering Events seeks to understand exactly how humans and earthquakes have interacted, not only in the short term but also in the long perspective of history. In some cases, physical devastation has been followed by decline. But in others, the political and economic reverberations of earthquake disasters have presented opportunities for renewal. After its wholesale destruction in 1906, San Francisco went on to flourish, eventually giving birth to the high-tech industrial area on the San Andreas fault known as Silicon Valley. An earthquake in Caracas in 1812 triggered the creation of new nations in the liberation of South America from Spanish rule. Another in Tangshan in 1976 catalysed the transformation of China into the world's second largest economy.The growth of the scientific study of earthquakes is woven into this far-reaching history. It began with a series of earthquakes in England in 1750. Today, seismologists can monitor the vibration of the planet second by second and the movement of tectonic plates millimetre by millimetre. Yet, even in the 21st century, great earthquakes are still essentially 'acts of God', striking with much less warning than volcanoes, floods, hurricanes and even tornadoes and tsunamis.

Haiti, one of the least developed and most vulnerable nations in the Western Hemisphere, made the international headlines in January 2010 when an earthquake destroyed the capital, Port-au-Prince. More than a year later, little reconstruction has taken place, in spite of a strong international funding commitment. Mats Lundahl has written several seminal works on Haiti, and this volume brings together the best of his past work on Haiti's economic and political history, along with a comprehensive introduction and two new chapters which bring the story right up to the present day. Together, the volume provides both historical background and explanation as to why Haiti was so badly affected by the earthquake, and to why reconstruction efforts have been ineffective this far. Lundahl argues that the two main causes can found in the interaction between the growth of the population and the destruction of the arable soil on the one hand, and in the creation of a predatory state during the nineteenth century, which still exists to this day. This book provides a comprehensive analysis, which charts these themes from the time of the arrival of Columbus in the island in 1492, to the present day. The book also deals with contemporary market and policy failures, as well as the crucial recent elections, and considers the path ahead for this impoverished nation. This book will be of huge relevance and interest not only to students and researchers in economic history, but also for all those working on development economics, development studies and American and Caribbean Studies more generally.

This book provides an account of the 1987 Ecuador earthquakes, evaluating the physical phenomena involved and the performance of structures and systems. It identifies and recommends cases where an in-depth study would contribute to improvement of our ability to analyze and forecast such failures and our preparedness, warning, rescue, recovery, and rehabilitation systems. The volume also describes how state-of-the-art knowledge can be applied to improve public safety and welfare.

Haiti, one of the least developed and most vulnerable nations in the Western Hemisphere, made the international headlines in January 2010 when an earthquake destroyed the capital, Port-au-Prince. More than a year later, little reconstruction has taken place, in spite of a strong international funding commitment. Mats Lundahl has written several seminal works on Haiti, and this volume brings together the best of his past work on Haiti's economic and political history, along with a comprehensive introduction and two new chapters which bring the story right up to the present day. Together, the volume provides both historical background and explanation as to why Haiti was so badly affected by the earthquake, and to why reconstruction efforts have been ineffective this far. Lundahl argues that the two main causes can found in the interaction between the growth of the population and the destruction of the arable soil on the one hand, and in the creation of a predatory state during the nineteenth century, which still exists to this day. This book provides a comprehensive analysis, which charts these themes from the time of the arrival of Columbus in the island in 1492, to the present day. The book also deals with contemporary market and policy failures, as well as the crucial recent elections, and considers the path ahead for this impoverished nation. This book will be of huge relevance and interest not only to students and researchers in economic history, but also for all those working on development economics, development studies and American and Caribbean Studies more generally.

THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF A CATASTROPHIC EARTHQUAKE -- Copyright -- Contents -- Executive Summary -- BACKGROUND -- THEMATIC ISSUES -- Economic Modeling -- Direct Structural Loss Estimates -- Direct Nonstructural Losses -- Economic Losses Due to Business Interruption -- Public Sector Economic Costs -- Personal and Household Economic Losses -- The Nature and Scope of Earthquake Impacts -- The \"Ripple Effect -- Insurance and Mitigation -- A New Approach -- POTENTIAL RESEARCH TOPICS -- Loss-Estimation Models -- Economic Models -- Redistributional Effects -- Policy Issues -- 1 What is Known About Seismic Risk Nationally? -- PRESENTATION OF ROBERT M. HAMILTON -- GENERAL DISCUSSION OF CHAPTER 1 -- 2 What are Likely Categories of Loss and Damage? -- PRESENTATION OF CHRISTOPHER ARNOLD -- PRESENTATION OF DON G. FRIEDMAN -- Uses of Natural-Disaster-Loss Estimations in an Insurance Operation -- Numerical Modeling of Earthquake-Caused Natural Disasters -- Approximating the Natural-Disaster-Producing Mechanism -- Loss Potentials of a Catastrophic Earthquake in the Central and Eastern United States -- Estimation of Earthquake-Caused Fatalities -- Estimation of Earthquake-caused Building Damage -- Estimation of Building Damages by Fire Following an Earthquake -- Loss Expectancies Based on Various Combinations of Earthquake Magnitude and Epicenter Locations -- PRESENTATION OF KATHLEEN TIERNEY -- PRESENTATION OF ROBERT W. KLING -- Replacement Value -- Benefit Value -- Market-Price Appraisal -- Opportunity-Cost Method -- Contingent-Valuation Method -- Travel-Cost Method -- Loss of Social Capital -- GENERAL DISCUSSION OF CHAPTER 2 -- 3 Overview of Economic Research on Earthquake Consequences -- PRESENTATION OF HAROLD COCHRANE -- Useful Concepts for Identifying and Measuring Economic Damages -- Income Accounting and Damage Assessment.

This study aims to compile the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes and analyze these impacts with qualitative data, focusing on the Elbistan case. To achieve this goal, data was collected after the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023, which affected 11 provinces, to identify the economic, social, and environmental problem areas in Elbistan, the epicenter of the earthquake, and to develop solutions that contribute to regional development. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with key sources of information in Elbistan, including local authorities, district residents, the chambers of commerce, İŞKUR (Turkish Employment Agency), union representatives, industry and university representatives, and local businesses. Qualitative research methods were used in the study, and content analysis was performed. Based on the results obtained through content analysis, policy recommendations have been presented in a structure that aligns with the economic development plans strategy, aimed at restoring or improving the economic, physical, social, cultural, and environmental assets of the affected district, reversing economic decline, and enhancing societal resilience.

On a global scale, the demand for mineral products has increased substantially with economic development. Consequently, the mining of mineral resources results in the production and accumulation of a large number of tailings, causing many problems with respect to mining, the environment, and the economy. In the mining process, tailings must be reasonably treated to prevent them from entering the water cycle through rivers. The storage of tailings under water can effectively hinder the chemical reactions that they undergo. Therefore, it is a critical practice to store these substances in ponds or impoundments behind dams. However, tailings dams frequently fail, resulting in the discharge of significant quantities of tailings into the natural environment, thereby causing grievous casualties and serious economic losses. This paper discusses reasons including seepage, foundation failure, overtopping, and earthquake for tailings dam failures and explores failure mechanisms by referring to the available literature. This research has determined that the failure of tailings dams is closely related to the state of the country’s economy. Most of the tailings dam breakages in developed countries occurred decades ago. In recent years, the proportion of tailings dam failures in developing countries has been relatively high. Considering the serious damages caused by tailings dam breakage, it is important to understand the main reasons and mechanisms for their failure. The purpose of this review is to provide a reference for the design and construction to the building of the tailing dams and to reduce the occurrences of their failure.