Featuring the earth sciences at their most spectacular, Volcanoes & Earthquakes explores the massive natural forces from within the Earth that greatly affect its surface, often with dramatic and long-lasting consequences.

Written in a jargon-free style, the book explains the violence of earthquakes and volcanoes that impact humankind, and the gradual continental drift and mountain building that have transformed the Earth over the 4.5 billion years of its existence. It describes the processes that continue to form, destroy and move the Earth's surface. It also reveals how scientists work to minimise damage from natural events, including construction techniques and tsunami warnings.

Volcanoes & Earthquakes goes on to describe how the Earth formed, from the beginnings of the solar system to the growth of the continents as they are today, and delves deep into the Earth's core to explore what drives the plates and feeds volcanoes. The last chapter examines the changes in the tectonic processes that link the Earth's mass, water, atmosphere and life, including the effects on climate, sea-level and the distribution of plant and animal species. Fully illustrated with photographs, diagrams and maps, and covering all the latest developments in earth sciences, this is a concise and engaging introduction to the major aspects of earthquakes, volcanoes and plate tectonics.