Praise for Natural Disasters in a Global Environment “Natural Disasters in a Global Environment serves as a much-needed respite from the glossy hyper-produced texts on environmental geology and natural disasters so prevalent today. Instead, Penna and Rivers couple delightful exposition, insightful comparative images, and historical anec- dotes that together produce some of the finest science writing I’ve seen. This book not only could be an outstanding text for a course on the subject, but it also would be a fine read for anyone interested in how Earth ‘works.’ ” Donald Siegel, Syracuse University “This is an impressive collection, wide ranging in time, place and discipline. The result stimulates new thinking both about history and about the ongoing role of catastrophe in the course of human society – altogether, an imaginative venture.” Peter Stearns, George Mason University “Eco-anxiety sometimes makes us exaggerate our power over nature for good and ill. In an important, welcome and riveting collaboration between history and science, Penna and Rivers unfold a minatory drama of disasters – seismic, climatic, pandemic, atmospheric, meteoric – that humans can barely influence, let alone control.” Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, University of Notre Dame “This skillful record of natural disaster – in climate, epidemics, and earth tremors – shows how society risks further disaster even in planning for safety.” Patrick Manning, University of Pittsburgh “Appealing to both students of history and science, this study of natural hazards and vulnerable populations provides an enthralling guide to how disasters have altered the course of human history.” Greg Bankoff, University of Hull “Interdisciplinary in methods and reach, Natural Disasters in a Global Environment surveys big ideas in concise and accessible form. This book is an indispensable introduction for everyone who wants to understand human response to disaster – scientists, disaster planners, historians, and policy-makers, students and senior researchers.” Conevery Bolton Valencius, University of Massachusetts, Boston NATURAL DISASTERS IN A GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT Anthony N. Penna and Jennifer S. Rivers A John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., Publication This edition first published 2013 © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Wiley-Blackwell is an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, formed by the merger of Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical and Medical business with Blackwell Publishing. Registered Office John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of Anthony N. Penna and Jennifer S. Rivers to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. 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If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Penna, Anthony N. Natural disasters in a global environment / Anthony N. Penna and Jennifer S. Rivers. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-118-25234-5 (hardback) – ISBN 978-1-118-25233-8 (paperback) – ISBN 978-1- 118-32752-4 (emobi) 1. Natural disasters–History. 2. Environmental disasters– History. 3. Natural disasters–Environmental aspects. I. Rivers, Jennifer S. II. Title. GB5014.P46 2013 363.3409–dc23 2012043158 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Cover images: Main image: Hurricane on Earth © BSH_Stock/Image Source/Corbis. Above from left to right: Smoke and burnt wilderness emergency © Pgiam, Flooding in the Midwest © Curt Pickens, Tungurahua volcano eruption © Elena Kalistratova, Global warming © Tarek El Sombati Cover design by Simon Levy Set in Minion 10.5/13 pt by Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited 1 2013 Anthony dedicates this book to the children in his blended family: Christina, Matthew, Olan, Trevor, Laura, Greg, and Brandon. Jennifer dedicates this book to her father, Michael D. Rivers, who wanted to name her Aberfan as a memorial to the children who died in the Welsh landslide. Contents List of figures x Preface xii Acknowledgments xiv Introduction 1 PART 1 INTERNAL PROCESSES 11 1 Supervolcanoes 13 Introduction 13 The Mt. Toba Eruption (73,000 BP) 15 The Thera (Santorini) Eruption in the Aegean Sea (1600 BCE) 20 Mt. Tambora (1815) and Krakatau (1883) 25 The Mt. Pinatubo Eruption (1991) 28 A Threatening Future Scenario 32 Summary 33 Notes 35 Further Reading 37 2 Earthquakes 38 Introduction 38 The San Francisco Earthquake (1906) 39 The Great Kanto Earthquake (1923) 48 The Haitian Earthquake (2010) 56 Summary 66 Notes 68 3 Tsunamis 71 Introduction 71 Lisbon, Portugal: The Quadruple Disaster (1755) 72 The Lituya Bay Mega-Tsunami (1958) 79 The Sumatra–Andaman Earthquake (2004) 83 viii CONTENTS The Tōhoku (Japan) Tsunami (2011) 89 Summary 97 Notes 98 Further Reading 104 PART 2 SURFICIAL PROCESSES 105 4 Fire 107 Introduction 107 The Burning of Rome (68 CE) 108 The Great Fire of London (1666) 112 The Chicago and Peshtigo Fires (1871) 120 Summary 132 Notes 133 Further Reading 135 5 Floods 136 Introduction 136 Central China Floods (1931) 137 The Dutch Flood Disaster (1953) 144 The Bangladesh Floods (1997–98) 149 Summary 154 Notes 156 Further Reading 160 6 Landslides 162 Introduction 162 The Turtle Mountain Landslide, Canada (1903) 163 The Aberfan Landslide, Wales (1966) 167 The Ancash Earthquake and Landslide, Peru (1970) 171 The Southern Leyte Landslide, the Philippines (2006) 177 Summary 183 Notes 184 Further Reading 187 7 Pandemic Diseases 189 Introduction 189 The Bubonic Plague (1347–51 and After) 190