Geology: The Bifocal Science

Rare events seem to be fodder for Hollywood megamovies such as Volcano, Twister, Dante’s Peak, Deep Impact, and Armageddon. However, consideration of the possibility and consequences of such events occupies almost no time in our personal thinking, nor much of a fraction of most community budgets. Major infrastructure sectors, such as power generation and waste disposal facilities, also fail to have resources set aside for such events. But the occurrence of even one rare event can have catastrophic consequences for the planet, for living species, for economies, and for technology.