The funny thing is that, while so many disaster MOVIES are full of dodgy, unrealistic, shoddy, poorly-researched science, disaster NOVELS are often well-researched and factual. The trick is being able to tell the good'uns from the bad -- though, like the flicks, the bad'uns are often fun to read.

For a Big Quake novel full of Pretty Good Science, check out The Rift (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0061057940/), by Walter Jon Williams.