The Really Big One

Over 300 years ago, in January of 1700 on the western calendar, scribes and magistrates up and down the coast of Japan recorded the effects of a tsunami. Various accounts told of a 6- to 10-foot wave coming in from the ocean. It was called the "orphan tsunami" because nobody in Japan felt an accompanying earthquake.

Meanwhile, in the last thirty years, geologists in Washington State have studied the tectonic plates in the western half of the state. They've examined deep soil deposits and patterns in coastal areas. By looking at topography and doing some carbon-dating of really old dead trees, and also paying attention to some local Native American lore, they figured out that there was a huge-ass earthquake out near the coast, circa 1700. A massive earthquake in Washington State generated a tsunami that reached Japan and was recorded in towns up and down its eastern coast. At first I didn't realize what the picture on the cover of the book was. When I did, it was pretty scary. And pretty awesome that the historical and geological detective work could solve the "case."

It's a great idea for a book. And The Orphan Tsunami of 1700 tries to tell the story. The primary sources, for starters, are super cool. The source material from Japan, both written and pictorial, is fascinating. And the pictures and diagrams illustrating the general concepts of geology are really neat too. So two sets of primary sources (the Japanese written accounts, and the earth itself) set themselves up for a fascinating tale.

Unfortunately, the book is written by scientists.

The chapters are horribly disjointed, and all the material is presented as boring, hard data. It's like the editors couldn't decide whether to first give the history of all known tsunamis and earthquakes, or a crash course in plate tectonics, or a crash course in shogunate Japan, or a lecture on the need for a better international tsunami response system, or a detailed survey of Washington's geology, or present the text from the Japanese contemporary accounts of the orphan tsunami. As a result, the book presents it all at once, in really confusing ways. To the point where the charts, graphics, and photos get the point across more clearly than the actual chapter text.

Also, the tone of the book suggests that a large portion of the authors' funding was intended for tsunami awareness/preparedness, because there are so many random references to what people should do in case of a tsunami or earthquake. The authors reference the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami a lot, as well as the 1960 Chile earthquake and the 1964 Alaska earthquake, and how the ensuing tsunamis affected people all around the Pacific Rim.

The 1700 event is such a gold mine in and of itself as an interesting topic; the other stuff, like the warnings about the threat of earthquakes and tsunamis, and the details about Chile and Alaska, are relevant but shouldn't take up as much space in the book as they do. Otherwise, why not just title it something generic like "Tsunamis and Earthquakes" and have a chapter on 1700?

On an entirely different note, X-Men: The Last Stand was really bad. The fun parts on the DVD were the deleted scenes, where there are like 5 alternate endings. Yes, Anna Paquin drugs herself so she can be "cured" and touch her boyfriend! No, never mind, she doesn't. Wolverine goes back to the wilds of Canada to find himself! No, never mind, he doesn't. The school re-opens, and everyone's enjoying the nice, sunny day outside! No, wait, we need to bring them indoors too. Storm kicks ass in the fight sequence! No, wait, but she should kick more.

It was really schizo and really cool. Must be fun to be a director sometimes...