Earthquakes and tsunamis are devastating geohazards with significant societal impacts. Most recent occurrences have shown that their impact on the stability of nations–societies and the world geopolitics is immense, potentially triggering a tipping point for a major downturn in the global economy. This Special Publication presents the most current information on the causes and effects of some of the modern and historical earthquake–tsunami events, and effective practices of risk assessment–disaster management, implemented by various governments, international organizations and intergovernmental agencies. Findings reported here show that the magnitude of human casualties and property loss resulting from earthquakes–tsunamis are highly variable around the globe, and that increased community, national and global resilience is significant to empower societal preparedness for such geohazards. It is clear that all stakeholders, including scientists, policymakers, governments, media and world organizations must work together to disseminate accurate, objective and timely information on geohazards, and to develop effective legislation for risk reduction and realistic hazard mitigation–management measures in our globally connected world of today.

The effects of tectonic processes on archaeological sites are evidenced by earthquake damage, volcanic eruptions, and tsunami destruction, but these processes also affect a broader sphere of landform structures, environment, and climate. An overview of tectonic archaeology is followed by a detailed summary of geoarchaeological fieldwork in Japan.

This volume examines the impact of and responses to historic earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the Azores. Study is placed in the contexts of: the history and geography of this fascinating archipelago; progress being made in predicting future events and policies of disaster risk reduction. This is the only volume to consider the earthquake and volcanic histories of the Azores across the whole archipelago and is based, not only on contemporary published research, but also on the detailed study of archival source materials. The authors seek to show how extreme environmental events, as expressed through eruptions, earthquakes and related processes operating in the past may be considered using both complementary scientific and social scientific perspectives in order to reveal the ways in which Azorean society has been shaped by both an isolated location in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and the ever present threat of environmental uncertainty. Chapter 2, which analyses in depth the geology and tectonics of the islands is of more specialist interest, but technical terms are fully explained so as to widen the accessibility of this material. The audience for this volume includes all those who are interested in the geology, geography, history and hazard responses in the Azores. It is written, not just for the educated general reader, but for the specialist earth scientist and hazard researcher.

Co-published with IAVCEI This Special Publication is a contribution from The Cities and Volcanoes Commission of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior. The Commission’s role is to encourage the exchange of experiences on volcanic islands to identify best practice in hazard assessment, monitoring techniques and risk mitigation strategies. The volume contains nine papers from internationally recognized authors that present studies undertaken on Ischia Island and Stromboli in the Mediterranean Sea, Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, and the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. This volume will be of interest to all scientists working in the assessment of volcanic hazard and risk mitigation.

This book is a collective effort by world experts, bringing together assorted contributions presented during the Ocean Science Session OS-017, of the AOGS-AGU Joint Assembly held in Singapore in 2012 (the Asia Tsunami and Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami events). The chapters cover assessment, evaluation, forecast and lessons learned as well as environmental and societal impacts of the latest tsunamis that occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004 and the Pacific Ocean in Japan 2011. The book is aimed at experts, scientists and decision makers seeking recent updated information, knowledge and experiences to better understand, quantify, forecast and protect coastal water resources, ecosystems, communities and human settlements which are often affected by tsunamis.

This book provides an integrated approach to the assessment of seismic hazards. The reduction of losses expected by future earthquakes is probably the most important contribution of seismology to society. Large earthquakes occurred in densely populated areas highlight the dramatic inadequacy of a massive portion of the buildings demonstrating the high risks of modern industrial societies. Building earthquake-resistant structures and retrofitting old buildings on a national scale can be extremely expensive and can represent an economic challenge even for developed western countries. Earthquakes can cause also several psychological problems due to the fact that such kind of disasters will result in casualties, collapsing of houses, strategic buildings and facilities and deeply affect a community. Moreover in our society it is necessary to properly plan emergency responses and rescues taking into account any possible secondary effect in order to avoid more casualties.

"This volume honors Eldridge Moores, one of the most accomplished geologists of his generation. The volume starts with a summary of Moores' achievements, along with personal dedications and memories from people who knew him. Leading off the volume's 12 chapters of original scientific contributions is Moores' last published paper that presents an example of the Historical Contingency concept, which suggested that earlier subduction history may result in supra-subduction zone geochemical signatures for some magmas formed in non-subduction environments. Other chapters highlight the societal significance of geology, the petrogenesis of ophiolites, subduction zone processes, orogenic belt evolution, and other topics, covering the globe and intersecting with Moores' interests and influences"--

Tsunamis are underrated as major hazards, mainly due to the misconceptions that they occur infrequently and happen along some distant shoreline. However, evidence for past great tsunami has recently been discovered along apparently aseismic and protected coastlines, such as those of Australia and Western Europe. This is a comprehensive and well illustrated textbook on all aspects of tsunami. It can be used by a student or layperson to gain encyclopedic knowledge about tsunami.

Many coastal areas of the United States are at risk for tsunamis. After the catastrophic 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, legislation was passed to expand U.S. tsunami warning capabilities. Since then, the nation has made progress in several related areas on both the federal and state levels. At the federal level, NOAA has improved the ability to detect and forecast tsunamis by expanding the sensor network. Other federal and state activities to increase tsunami safety include: improvements to tsunami hazard and evacuation maps for many coastal communities; vulnerability assessments of some coastal populations in several states; and new efforts to increase public awareness of the hazard and how to respond. Tsunami Warning and Preparedness explores the advances made in tsunami detection and preparedness, and identifies the challenges that still remain. The book describes areas of research and development that would improve tsunami education, preparation, and detection, especially with tsunamis that arrive less than an hour after the triggering event. It asserts that seamless coordination between the two Tsunami Warning Centers and clear communications to local officials and the public could create a timely and effective response to coastal communities facing a pending tsuanami. According to Tsunami Warning and Preparedness, minimizing future losses to the nation from tsunamis requires persistent progress across the broad spectrum of efforts including: risk assessment, public education, government coordination, detection and forecasting, and warning-center operations. The book also suggests designing effective interagency exercises, using professional emergency-management standards to prepare communities, and prioritizing funding based on tsunami risk.

Tsunami science has evolved significantly since the occurrence of two of the most destructive natural disasters in recent times: the 26 December 2004 Sumatra tsunami that killed about 230,000 people along the coasts of 14 countries in the Indian Ocean and the 11 March 2011 Tohoku (Great East Japan) tsunami that killed almost 20,000 people and destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. As a result of these and many other destructive tsunamis that have occurred over just the last decade, scientists from around the world have come together to engage in tsunami research. The global community of researchers has also expanded by discipline, adapting advances in other sciences to study all aspects of tsunami hydrodynamics, detection, generation, and probability of occurrence. The papers presented in this third of three topical volumes of Pure and Applied Geophysics reflect the state of tsunami science during this time. Five papers from diverse geographic regions, ranging from off South Africa to northern Kamchatka, demonstrate the global nature of tsunami hazards. Six papers on tsunami hydrodynamic analysis and modeling form the core of this volume, similar to the previous two volumes of Global Tsunami Science. As a forefront of tsunami research, five papers discuss prehistoric tsunamis and tsunami generation by phenomena other than earthquakes. Finally, tsunami warning and real-time forecasting are important outcomes of tsunami science and are represented in this volume by four papers. Collectively, this volume highlights contemporary trends in global tsunami science, both fundamental and applied toward hazard assessment and mitigation. The volume is of interest to scientists and practitioners involved in all aspects of tsunamis from source processes to coastal impacts. Postgraduate students in geophysics, oceanography and coastal engineering – as well as students in the broader geosciences, civil and environmental engineering – will also find the book to be a valuable resource, as it combines recent case studies with advances in tsunami science and natural hazards mitigation.