Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault covers the known history of the San Andreas fault and, perhaps to a lesser extent, of California earthquakes write large. John Dvorak also analyzes the evolution of earthquake science, from plate tectonics to the Richter scale. This part of the book is interesting, but not as strong as the historical background, which is well-constructed and, if not quite riveting, highly readable.
Other than the chapter on Richter and the eponymously-named scale, the theoretical and scientific aspects of the book suffer from being a bit too technical and devoid of color. The result is that I often felt I was on the literary equivalent of a see saw, alternating between the highs of historical quakes and scientists and the lows of overly-cumbersome scientific writing. And I like science! It's just that, as occurs too frequently in scientific writing that purports to be popular press (see Paper: Paging Through History, for example), Dvorak's knowledge, interest, and related vocabulary is broader than that of most readers. Additionally, and perhaps unfairly, I was hoping Earthquake Storms, which does touch on earthquakes in China, Turkey, Italy, and points near and far between, would be part-science, part-travelogue, in the style of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind or Spillover.
Ultimately, I did enjoy Earthquake Storms for the portrayal of San Francisco's 1906 quake, and for deepening my knowledge concerning the challenges around earthquake forecasting. Final verdict: On the dry side, but informative. Science-minded readers will likely enjoy it, but the casual reader will likely find it a bit too deep in the weeds.
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