The Big One: The Cascadia Earthquakes and the Science of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch (review)

Rusch begins with a mystery. Why is California plagued by earthquakes, while the Pacific Northwestern states, further along the Ring of Fire in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, seem relatively quiet? In fact, that quiet has been deceptive, and as Rusch discusses in her opening chapters, Western science needed to understand plate tectonics, to begin to read geological evidence that attests to earthquakes and related landslides, coastal sinking, and tsunamis, and to correlate indigenous tribal lore and meticulous centuries-old Japanese recorded histories with CSZ evidence to realize earthquakes have been happening regularly and there's likely a big one in the foreseeable future. Sections on field scientists Brian Atwater, who studies marsh plants covered in tsunami-deposited sand layers, and Chris Goldfinger, whose offshore core sampling confirmed that thirteen quake-related landslides have occurred in the past eight millennia, lay the groundwork, and then chapters shift to work on reinforcing bridges, establishing earthquake alert systems, and educating the populace on emergency preparations that bring the science uncomfortably closer to home. Need-to-know background, such as the Moment Magnitude Scale for earthquake measurement, is well placed, and the information flow across chapters is exceptionally smooth and well organized. As customary for the Scientists in the Field series, the snapshot vibe of the generous photo illustration lends immediacy to the highlighted research. Lists for further reading and multimedia viewing, sources, quote citations, and index are included.