The main objective of the book is to offer a vision of the geomorphologic dynamics of the main disasters, describing their mechanisms and consequences for South American societies. Major disasters produced by volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, landslides, and tsunami hazards are a main focus as well as the description of the main hydrometeorological and geological drivers. Human-induced environmental disasters are also included, such as desertification in Patagonia and soil erosion in Brazil. The recession of South American glaciers as a response to recent climatic trends and sea-level scenarios is also discussed.
The approach is broad, analyzing causes and consequences and including social and economic costs, discussing environmental and planning problems, but always describing the geomorphologic/geologic-involved processes. This particular approach differentiates this book from others which are devoted to assessing the more ‘‘social’’ aspects of disasters, thus emphasizing mainly economic and social effects.