When Worlds Quake: The Quest to Understand the Interior of the Earth and Beyond

Australian National University geophysics professor Tkalčić (The Earth’s Inner Core) offers a sweeping account of how scientists study earthquakes to better understand the planet’s structure and inner dynamics. He starts with an overview of the history of seismology, detailing how the 1906 San Francisco earthquake revealed to scientists that these events originate from faults or fractures in the Earth’s crust. This revelation laid the groundwork for the theory that the planet’s outer layer is composed of large tectonic plates that slide past each other, causing earthquakes. The author goes on to explain contemporary technologies used to analyze earthquakes, like electromagnetic seismographs, which pinpoint their location and magnitude, and explores efforts to accurately predict earthquakes, a feat that remains beyond reach. Lastly, he turns to outer space, sharing how seismographs have been sent to Mars to measure marsquakes. Tkalčić peppers the at times technical narrative with captivating personal anecdotes, like his time on a research vessel in the Southern Ocean, where he endured extreme winds and waves while trying to place seismographs on the ocean floor. Anyone curious about the science of earthquakes will find much of interest. (Jan.)