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Author: Robert Yeats
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 978-1-107-08524-4

“The next great earthquake will be a disaster, but failing to prepare for it will lead to a catastrophe,” Robert Yeats writes in the introduction of his book, Earthquake Time Bombs.

This three-hundred-and-sixty-one-page hardbound targets those interested in an in-depth study of earthquake faults and what a major earthquake in their areas could do to the infrastructure as it relates to mankind.

After acknowledgments and an introduction, the book is divided into three sections, followed by references, and an index. While the first part discusses earthquakes, plate tectonics, a primer, deep time, forecasting, and risks in megacities, the second part of the book contains the most information regarding specific regions and areas in the world while the final part relates to the future.

With the main discussion covering specific cities or countries, documented earthquakes in California, the Pacific Northwest, Japan, New Zealand, Chile, and China show inadequate responses when they occurred to cities that were and are not well prepared such as Lisbon, Jerusalem, Istanbul, Tehran, Kabul, Lima, Caracas, Haiti, and Mexico City to name a few.

The book concludes that there is a lot man can do to prevent injury, death, and destruction from an earthquake if we are better prepared.

This is a detailed book that would work well for a term paper or thesis regarding the history of world earthquakes as well as what could be corrected when expecting the earth to shake. Since I experienced the Sylmar 1971 earthquake and now live in Oregon near the Cascadia subduction zone, I not only remembered the devastation but also am leery of what could happen to my current home and town.

Expecting more photographs of past earthquakes and their damage, I was a little disappointed that the book focuses more on what effects, resilience, and recommendations to consider for the “big one” that could happen at any minute. As stated above, it is more of a technical read for educators than a book about the devastation from a layperson’s viewpoint.

Having decades of research and experience in earthquake geology worldwide, Yeats has written five books on the topic. He is a senior consultant, partner, Emeritus professor, and chairperson who studies earthquakes and lives in the Pacific Northwest.

With it being so detailed and informative when it relates to the infrastructure, the book would be more interesting to the average reader if there were more photographs, charts, and maps.

If you are looking for a textbook regarding the many earthquakes around the world and need a resource, this would make a good reference.

Thanks to Bookpleasures and the publicist for offering this book to review for my honest opinion.