Paleoseismology (the study of "ancient" earthquakes) has become an important component of seismic risk analysis, which is mandated for nuclear power plants, dams, waste repositories, and other critical structures. This book is the first in the English language to be devoted solely to paleoseismology. It summarizes the development of the field from the 1960s to the present, encompassing material that is currently widely dispersed in journal articles. Chapters, contributed by active practitioners at the forefront of paleoseismic research, cover the entire range of techniques currently used in paleoseismic reconstruction.

* Second completely updated version of a book solely devoted to paleoseismology

* Summarizes the development of the field from the 1960's to the present

* Includes a comprehensive review of the techniques currently used in paleoseismology

* Emphasizes practical methods of data collection and field studies

* Covers interpretation of field data based on current theory concerning fault segmentation and recurrence cycles

* Contains more than 170 line drawings and 50 photographs of paleoseismic phenomena