Raging Planet: Earthquakes, Volcanoes and the Tectonic Threat to Life on Earth by Bill McGuire
We talk about 'solid ground', but in fact the earth beneath our feet is far from quiet. Over three thousand active volcanoes are scattered across the earth's surface. Some are in a state of semipermanent eruption, while others lie ominously silent for centuries or millennia. Our planet is rattled and shaken by half a million earthquakes every year. Many are so tiny that they are only detectable with scientific instruments, but others are vicious enough to flatten entire cities, with catastrophic results. Raging Planet is a gripping analysis of the global tectonic instability which puts every one of us at risk from some of Nature's most powerful forces.