Books with author J. Farndon

The molten rock just under Earth's solid crust sometimes erupts suddenly and violently, causing streams of red-hot lava and scorching high-speed avalanches called pyroclastic flows. Volcanoes can bury entire cities in ash, poison the air with suffocating gases, trigger earthquakes and tsunamis, and drastically alter our climate. Witness the world's most extreme volcanic disasters throughout history, from the Yellowstone supervolcano to Vesuvius and Krakatoa, and find out what could happen if they erupt again. Learn how volcanoes form, what causes them to erupt, and why the benefits may outweigh the dangers for the people who live near them. Discover the science and technology that could help volcanologists save lives by predicting future devastating explosions.

In just a few seconds, a spark can turn a forest into a rapidly spreading inferno of intense heat and suffocating smoke. Firefighters try to control the wildfire―a battle that might last for months. Water can be used to fight wildfires, but too much water can cause deadly floods. Floods reduce land to swamp and sweep away houses and bridges. In their wake, they leave food shortages, contaminated drinking water, and diseases like cholera and typhus. Follow the scorched trail of the worst wildfires ever, learn what causes flash floods, and discover the technology that helps predict these devastating disasters.

Earthquakes can destroy entire cities in mere minutes and send shock waves rippling around the world. These devastating quakes become even more deadly when followed by monster waves. Tsunamis may travel faster than a jet across thousands of miles of ocean. Once they reach the coast, these huge walls of water can wash away everything in their path in one fatal whoosh. No place on Earth is entirely safe from earthquakes. But the technology to detect these hidden terrors is constantly improving. Discover the most fearsome earthquakes and tsunamis throughout history, as well as the science behind how and where these disasters strike.

4000 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW Few books provide so much information in such a condensed form as 4000 Things You Should Know. Using small, digestible nuggets of information, this intriguing book introduces the reader to subjects as diverse as: dark matter, black holes, neutron stars, hot spot volcanoes, the Earth's core and mantle, earthquake measurement, the brain's synapses, chromosomes, osmosis, tendons and ligaments, pythons and boas, and strange sea creatures. The fascination of space, planet Earth, wild animals, and our own bodies meet in this extraordinary and thoroughly engaging book.