Includes bibliographical references.

What if we could predict natural disasters? What do scientists know about them already, and what do they wish they knew? Dangerous Earth explores for general readers the state of the sciences that investigate volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, rip currents, and - the deadliest hazard of all - climate change and its likely local effects. Each chapter takes the reader on a tour of our understanding of one of these hazards, beginning with narratives of key historical events (such as the eruption of Mt. St. Helen's and the landfall of Hurricane Katrina) and ending with overviews of what remains unknown about Earth's most dynamic processes. Along the way, we meet the scientists learning to read the planet's warning signs and working to pass the messages along to the rest of us.