American Civil War in the West - 1863-1865

American Civil War in the West - 1863-1865 The Tullahoma Campaign As Grant was conducting operations against Vicksburg, the American Civil War in the West continued in Tennessee. In June, after pausing in Murfreesboro for nearly six months, Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans began moving against Gen. Braxton Braggs Army of Tennessee at Tullahoma, TN. Conducting a brilliant campaign of maneuver, Rosecrans was able to turn Bragg out of several defensive positions, forcing him to abandon Chattanooga and driving him from the state. Battle of Chickamauga Reinforced by Lt. Gen. James Longstreets corps from the Army of Northern Virginia and a division from Mississippi, Bragg laid a trap for Rosecrans in the hills of northwestern Georgia. Advancing south, the Union general encountered Braggs army at Chickamauga on September 18, 1863. Fighting began in earnest the following day when Union Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas attacked Confederate troops on his front. For most of the day, fighting surged up and down the lines with each side attacking and counterattacking. On the morning of the 20th, Bragg attempted to flank Thomas position at Kelly Field, with little success. In response to the failed attacks, he ordered a general assault on the Union lines. Around 11:00 AM, confusion led to a gap opening in the Union line as units were shifted to support Thomas. As Maj. Gen. Alexander McCook was attempting to plug the gap, Longstreets corps attacked, exploiting the hole and routing the right wing of Rosecrans army. Retreating with his men, Rosecrans departed the field leaving Thomas in command. Too heavily engaged to withdrawal, Thomas consolidated his corps around Snodgrass Hill and Horseshoe Ridge. From these positions his troops beat off numerous Confederate assaults before falling back under the cover of darkness. This heroic defense earned Thomas the moniker The Rock of Chickamauga. In the fighting, Rosecrans suffered 16,170 casualties, while Braggs army incurred 18,454. Siege of Chattanooga Stunned by the defeat at Chickamauga, Rosecrans retreated all the way back to Chattanooga. Bragg followed and occupied the high ground around the city effectively putting the Army of the Cumberland under siege. To the west, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was resting with his army near Vicksburg. On October 17, he was given command of the Military Division of the Mississippi and control of all Union armies in the West. Moving quickly, Grant replaced Rosecrans with Thomas and worked to reopen supply lines to Chattanooga. This done, he shifted 40,000 men under Maj. Gens. William T. Sherman and Joseph Hooker east to reinforce the city. As Grant was pouring troops into the area, Bragg numbers were reduced when Longstreets corps was ordered away for a campaign around Knoxville, TN. Battle of Chattanooga On November 24, 1863, Grant began operations to drive Braggs army away from Chattanooga. Attacking at dawn, Hookers men drove Confederate forces from Lookout Mountain south of the city. Fighting in this area ended around 3:00 PM when ammunition ran low and a heavy fog enveloped the mountain, earning the fight the nickname Battle Above the Clouds. At the other end of the line, Sherman advanced taking Billy Goat Hill at the north end of the Confederate position. The following day, Grant planned for Hooker and Sherman to flank Braggs line, allowing Thomas to advance up the face of Missionary Ridge in the center. As the day progressed, the flank attacks became bogged down. Feeling that Bragg was weakening his center to reinforce his flanks, Grant ordered Thomas men to move forward to assault the three lines of Confederate trenches on the ridge. After securing the first line, they were pinned down by fire from the remaining two. Rising up, Thomas men, without orders, pressed on up the slope, chanting Chickamauga! Chickamauga! and broke the center of Braggs lines. With no choice, Bragg ordered the army to retreat back to Dalton, GA. As a result of his defeat, President Jefferson Davis relieved Bragg and replaced him with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Changes in Command In March 1964, President Abraham Lincoln promoted Grant to lieutenant general and placed him in supreme command of all Union armies. Departing Chattanooga, Grant turned over command to Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman. A long-time and trusted subordinate of Grants, Sherman immediately made plans for driving on Atlanta. His command consisted of three armies which were to operate in concert: the Army of the Tennessee, under Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson, the Army of the Cumberland, under Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas, and the Army of the Ohio, under Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield. The Campaign for Atlanta Moving southeast with 98,000 men, Sherman first encountered Johnstons 65,000-man army near Rocky Face Gap in northwest Georgia. Maneuvering around Johnstons position, Sherman next met the Confederates at Resaca on May 13, 1864. After failing to break Johnstons defenses outside the town, Sherman again marched around his flank and forced the Confederates to fall back. Through the remainder of May, the Sherman steadily maneuvered Johnston back towards Atlanta with battles occurring at Adairsville, New Hope Church, Dallas, and Marietta. On June 27, with the roads too muddy to steal a march on the Confederates, Sherman attempted to attack their positions near Kennesaw Mountain. Repeated assaults failed to take the Confederate entrenchments and Shermans men fell back. By July 1, the roads had improved allowing Sherman to again move around Johnstons flank, dislodging him from his entrenchments. The Battles for Atlanta On July 17, 1864, tired of Johnstons constant retreats, President Jefferson Davis gave command of the Army of Tennessee to the aggressive  Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood. The new commanders first move was to  attack Thomas army near Peachtree Creek, northeast of Atlanta. Several determined assaults struck the Union lines, but were ultimately all repulsed. Hood next withdrew his forces to the inner defenses of the city hoping Sherman would follow and open himself up to attack. On July 22, Hood  assaulted McPhersons Army of the Tennessee  on the Union left. After the attack achieved initial success, rolling up the Union line, it was stopped by massed artillery and counterattacks. McPherson was killed in the fighting and replaced with  Maj. Gen. Oliver O. Howard. Unable to penetrate the Atlanta defenses from the north and east, Sherman moved to the west of the city but was blocked by the Confederates at  Ezra Church  on July 28. Sherman next decided to force Hood from Atlanta by cutting the railroads and supply lines into the city. Pulling almost of his forces from around the city, Sherman marched on Jonesborough to the south. On August 31, Confederate troops  attacked the Union position  but were easily driven away. The next day Union troops counterattacked and broke through the Confederate lines. As his men fell back, Hood realized that the cause was lost and began evacuating Atlanta on the night of September 1. His army retreated west towards Alabama. In the campaign, Shermans armies suffered 31,687 casualties, while the Confederates under Johnston and Hood had 34,979. Battle of Mobile Bay As Sherman was closing in on Atlanta, the US Navy was conducting operations against Mobile, AL. Led by  Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, fourteen wooden warships and four monitors ran past Forts Morgan and Gaines at the mouth of Mobile Bay and attacked the ironclad  CSS  Tennessee  and three gunboats. In doing so, they passed near a torpedo (mine) field, which claimed the monitor USS  Tecumseh. Seeing the monitor sink, the ships in front of Farraguts flagship paused, causing him to famously exclaim Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead! Pressing on into the bay, his fleet captured CSS  Tennessee  and closed the port to Confederate shipping. The victory, coupled with the fall of Atlanta, greatly aided Lincoln in his reelection campaign that November. Franklin Nashville Campaign While Sherman rested his army at Atlanta, Hood planned a new campaign designed to cut the Union supply lines back to Chattanooga. He moved west into Alabama hoping to draw Sherman into following, before turning north towards Tennessee. To counter Hoods movements, Sherman dispatched Thomas and Schofield back north to protect Nashville. Marching separately, Thomas arrived first. Hood seeing that the Union forces were divided, moved to defeat them before they could concentrate. Battle of Franklin On November 29, Hood nearly trapped Schofields force near Spring Hill, TN, but the Union general was able to extricate his men from the trap and reach Franklin. Upon arriving they occupied fortifications on the outskirts of town. Hood arrived the following day and launched a massive frontal assault on the Union lines. Sometimes referred to as the Picketts Charge of the West, the attack was repulsed with heavy casualties and six Confederate generals dead. Battle of Nashville The victory at Franklin allowed Schofield to reach Nashville and rejoin Thomas. Hood, despite the wounded condition of his army, pursued and arrived outside the city on December 2. Safe in the citys defenses, Thomas slowly prepared for the upcoming battle. Under tremendous pressure from Washington to finish off Hood, Thomas finally attacked on December 15. Following two days of assaults, Hoods army crumbled and dissolved, effectively destroyed as a fighting force. Shermans March to the Sea With Hood occupied in Tennessee, Sherman planned his campaign to take Savannah. Believing the Confederacy would only surrender if its capacity for making war was destroyed, Sherman ordered his troops to conduct a total scorched earth campaign, destroying everything in their path. Departing Atlanta on November 15, the army advanced in two columns under  Maj. Gens. Henry Slocum  and Oliver O. Howard. After cutting a swath across Georgia, Sherman arrived outside of Savannah on December 10. Making contact with the US Navy, he demanded the citys surrender. Rather than capitulate,  Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee  evacuated the city and fled north with the garrison. After occupying the city, Sherman telegraphed Lincoln, I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah... The Carolinas Campaign and the Final Surrender With Savannah captured, Grant issued orders for Sherman to bring his army north to aid in the  siege of Petersburg. Rather than travel by sea, Sherman proposed marching overland, laying waste to the Carolinas along the way. Grant approved and Shermans 60,000-man army moved out in January 1865, with the goal of capturing Columbia, SC. As Union troops entered South Carolina, the first state to secede, no mercy was given. Facing Sherman was a reconstituted army under his old adversary, Joseph E. Johnston, who seldom had more than 15,000 men. On February 10, Federal troops entered Columbia and burned everything of military value. Pushing north, Shermans forces encountered Johnstons small army at  Bentonville, NC on March 19. The Confederates launched five attacks against the Union line to no avail. On the 21st, Johnston broke off contact and retreated towards Raleigh. Pursuing the Confederates, Sherman finally compelled Johnston to agree to an armistice at Bennett Place near Durham Station, NC on April 17. After negotiating surrender terms, Johnston capitulated on the 26th. Coupled with  Gen. Robert E. Lees  surrender on the 9th, the surrender effectively ended the Civil War.

The Lady with the Pet Dog Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Lady with the Pet Dog - Essay Example The meetings between Anna and Gurov had initially started without any inkling of love, but their feelings were soon transformed into infatuation and finally into passionate love which brought the two different personalities together. They way Chekov has developed the character of Dmitri is indeed commendable. At the start of the novel he is portrayed as a typical detestable male chauvinist but by the end of the story, he is greatly changed by love and the readers start to feel for him. It is the power of love which forces Gurov to be dissatisfied by his life and routine. The love compels a married woman to have an affair out of her marriage. However accompanying love is the guilt that is pinching the conscience of both the characters. Despite being in love with Gurov, Anna feels happy and relieved to return back to his husband. The separation however does not last for long. Driven madly by the desire to meet Anna, Gurov leaves his city to find her so that he could confess his love fo r her. Even though Anna knows she is married, she yearns to break away from his husband and return to the love of her life. Love strengthens her conviction to meet Gurov and at the end of the story she sets out a plan to go away from her husband to meet him. To make the theme so vivid and so interesting, setting of the story plays an important role. The most essential element of the story is its dual setting. The dual setting plays an important role in shaping up the story. Yalta has been depicted as a state which is famous for its ‘stories of immorality’. Gurov is tempted by the beauty of the city to find a partner to spend time with. Then the city itself creates an atmosphere of romance by its ‘heat’, ‘the chirrup of the grasshoppers’ and the ‘smell of the sea’. The atmosphere has a direct effect on Gurov and Anna by setting a romantic mood for them. The setting is comparable to the moods of the lovers. Both the characters are su rrounded by the beauty and serenity of the city which brings them very close to each other. After Anna departs, it starts to get ‘cold’ symbolizing the onset of autumn in the city as well as in the life of Gurov. Then we see the city of Moscow, where Gurov returned. Moscow has been shown as a busy city with everything in perfect routine. The mornings are ‘dark’ which compliments Gurov’s mood. He feels gloomy and disgruntled by his life and yearns to meet Anna again. Chekhov has indeed remarkably created the setting of the story to match the mood of its characters. The Author Antonio Chekhov has written a number of short stories, all of which have been very popular among the readers. I find this story very interesting and appealing. They way Chekhov has narrated the story and the shown the connection between the two major characters is truly remarkable. The story proceeds smoothly without any glitches with the same theme of love circulating around the characters which maintains the readers’ attention. The literary devices and symbolism used in the story further increases the curiosity of the readers. This could very well be seen by the ‘silence’ of Anna which she maintains after most of the questions asked by Gurov. Moreover the author has connected the element of uncertainty and reluctance with every major character. Gurov is uncertain about continuing his relationship with Anna, Anna’

International studiesGrowth Development of Nations Essay

International studiesGrowth Development of Nations - Essay Example It has also helped in transfer of technical know how, transfer of knowledge, export and import of goods and services, etc. But, as rightly stated by Rosenberg, globalization, which was meant to signify unity and integrity has no way proved to be successful instead resulted in cold war between countries for their share in the global market. Further, it is mentioned by Ellwood that gaps between rich and poor are widening and decision making power is concentrated in the hands of few developed and powerful nations (11). Rightly so, Rosenberg mentions in the article "Free Trade Fix" wherein the right to make decisions lie in the hands of IMF which is controlled by the United States and other European countries. The scenario of Puebla State in Mexico where the farmers cultivating corn have become the victims of globalization due to cheap corn being imported from US as part of free trade agreement between the two nations. The globalization has resulted in great opportunities like transfer of skills, employment, transfer of goods and services, etc. but it has all happened in pursuit of cheap labor in poor countries.

Plz chose one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Plz chose one - Essay Example Lee found it intriguing and began to find out the history and reality of fortune cookies in America. Fortune Cookies were perceived as originated in China and became a regular part of every Chinese restaurant in United States. Lee demonstrates an interesting resemblance between Chinese foods served in America and the America-born Chinese generation, and stated for both that: Lee found it interesting that her own mother, who spent quite a time in China, did not know much about fortune cookies and believed that it came from Hong Kong. From that point, Lee began to inquire that what the actual origin of fortune cookies is. On her quest, she met Misa Chang, who opened her restaurant in 70s. Misa was the first one to bring the idea of door delivery service in Chinese food line. Door delivery was in practice by some restaurants but Misa was the first one to think about delivering hot, spicy Chinese food on the doors. It was her idea of success but the innovation often outruns the innovator. The idea caught wind and soon other restaurant owners were offering home delivery. At this point of time, Misa thought about some innovative marketing technique that was actually a prototype of spamming. She thought about delivering mail advertisements to the people living in the area. She saw it as a perfectly legal thing as there was no concept of spamming in that era. However, just like the home delivery idea, her competitors also started to send flyers to the prospective buyers which at the end became messy for every one and legal complications were started. Lee described it as: Lee believed that fortune cookie was another â€Å"caught the wind† idea of a Chinese or Japanese to present as a dessert. The supporting fact was that the Chinese deserts are totally different from Americans as they don’t bake. Their desserts are usually constituted of beans, peanuts,

Effects of Population Growth

Effects of Population Growth Nerujan Sivanesan Issues of human geography have had irreversible impacts on the Earth as we know today. Over the centuries, the growing human population has led to high population densities, and has greatly affected the fate of one particular country. The environmental, economic and social impacts have been both positive and negative in the case of this nation. Although many nations are affected, no other place bears the weight of this issue more than the country of India. Currently, India has a population of 1,220,800,359 people and it ranks second according to the central intelligence agency website when compared to all the other countries around the world. In addition, population density is the number of people living per unit of an area1 and India currently retains a population density of 388 people/km2 in 2013 according to the population reference bureau website. As a result of their high population, it leads to the emergence of many socio-medical issues and survivalhood complications9 such as a lack of water supply as well as having a greater working population despite suffering from shortages of land and resources. In addition, it will lead to the reduction of population growth which in turn will assist in the reduction of its population in the future. The environmental repercussions that will arise in India due to having a high population will massively affect this nation. Environmental issues such as a lack of water supply and polluted water will occur as a result of India’s continually growing population. In addition, the water supply that is obtained will most likely be polluted because daily garbage generation ranges more than 3-20 tons.3 All this generated garbage is found on streets, infront of homes and other properties which will end up in rivers and lakes, eventually contaminating the water. Also, the unregulated disposal of pollution occurs through drains joining into rivers, streams, and reservoirs.3 This is because companies do not have waste water treatments systems, thus, all the water in this environment will be contaminated by these chemicals. Moreover, having a human population with a high population density will lead India to have a lot of gas powered vehicles on its streets which will result in air pollution. As a result of air pollution, it will contribute to global warming which will hamper the required weather conditions needed to maintain India’s agriculture, which is a critical part of their economic life. Unfortunately, the poor people will be most likely affected by this since most of them live in rural areas. This is bad news forIndia as a whole because agriculture is one of their most important ways for raising economic income. Even though there are mainly negative effects regarding the environmental implications for this issue, there are still some positive effects too. One positive effect would be that the increase in population in agricultural areas of India will result in a higher production of agriculture. Hence, this will help sustain the country both environmentally and economically because it wil l prevent shortages in food supply as well as provide an income for the poor agricultural workers. Economic benefits and complications arise due to India having such a high population. In fact, Indians living in this highly populated country will be more willing to accept lower wages due to having a high unemployment rates. As a result this will attract more companies because they would not have to pay high wages and would allow India to grow economically. Even though India will economically grow because of the attraction of companies, their economy will still suffer due to the fact that a high number of people in this country are in poverty and that the gap between the poor and rich is growing. This is because the rich people are exploiting more resources than poor people.9 Also, the number of middle class people found in this nation will continue to grow so the purchasing power will become higher power. Therefore, the more people there are in a country, the greater their economic potential will. In addition, having such a high population will result in the development of technology. For that reason, rising population promotes the need for some sort of technological change in order to meet the rising demands for certain goods and services, as a result more jobs will become available.13Moreover, a mass influx in population is considered harmful to economic growth since the resources found in India are found to be limited due to the increasing rate in population growth. Even though this is true, it can also lead them to have a very high working population. Since, the amount of resources will become limited due to the increase in population; their prices will greatly increase. Nonetheless, the increase in prices of resources would often lead people, especially poor people to suffer from starvation. Consequences will arise for the reason that India will want to solve/reduce their current issue, overpopulation, however, its citizens financial status will determine whether the methods suggested is agreeable or not. It is a known fact that women play a decisive role in influencing the birth rates during their child bearing years. Therefore, family planning efforts are promoted such as encouraging later marriages as well as increasing the length of birth intervals so that the population rate will be reduced in the future. When successful, family planning efforts tend to help reduce the population rate because families will limit themselves to two children most of the time. In addition, women play a crucial role in high population rates because some women especially the women in poverty are illiterate which would mean there is an encouragement of early marriages. This is because families in poverty usually marry their daughters off in exchange for dowry once they enter their child be aring years. As a result this will assist both the daughter as well as her family economically. Since they are illiterate, they will be encouraged to have children in short birth intervals because they reside in rural areas and once their children become older they will begin to assist in the agricultural work given, as it is their only source of income. Evidence shows that women’s education has a positive association with a wider range of contraceptive product usage in India, whereby women possessing high levels of education use both modern and traditional non-terminal methods of birth control.4 In addition, women who are educated tend to marry later in their lives. Furthermore, this would mean that they have shorter child bearing years when compared to women who are illiterate. India’s growing human population is still a concerning issue and it has affected the fate of this country environmentally, economically, and socially. Through environmental implications, water supplies will sometimes be contaminated because of a lack of waste water treatment systems in industrial companies and an increase in agricultural production will occur due escalation in population growth. In addition, the increase in agricultural production will help India’s economy to become much stronger. However, there are many people in this country that are in poverty which would cause its economy to decline. Later marriages will help reduce population growth because women will now have shorter child bearing years and this method is mostly used by educated women. Uneducated women marry during the initial stages of their child bearing year for economical or social reasons and this would mean they have longer child bearing years. Many consequences will result due to population growth and it can be interpreted in different ways on how it would affect India. Reference 1.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/population+density?s=t 2.http://www.sfu.ca/geography/undergraduate-program/human-geography-sfu 3.http://books.google.ca/books?hl=enlr=id=J6sZo47jJNsCoi=fndpg=PA50dq=how+overpopulation+affects+India%27s+environmentots=FZay88LUiGsig=mS2rwX8b9T4W6A8-43hk7x7YoL0#v=onepageqf=false 4. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/docview/200907237 5.http://web.b.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=trueprofile=ehostscope=siteauthtype=crawlerjrnl=09725784AN=86021326h=zu59X88190lyNltFvjZpfzTtHQ5aKCt8BM87felpzhBaD7AK10%2fd2ePpsRh3LSDL5tE5GRrFKnzAALuXIi2cng%3d%3dcrl=c 6. http://www.prb.org/DataFinder/Topic/Rankings.aspx?ind=30fmt=31tf=54loc=249,250,251,252,253,254,34227,255,257,258,259,260,261,262,263,264,265,266,267,268,269,270,271,272,274,275,276,277,278,279,280,281,282,283,284,285,286,287,288,289,290,291,292,294,295,296,297,298,299,300,301,302,304,305,306,307,308,311,312,315,316,317,318,319,320,321,322,324,325,326,327,328,34234,329,330,331,332,333,334,336,337,338,339,340,342,343,344,345,346,347,348,349,350,351,352,353,354,358,359,360,361,362,363,364,365,366,367,368,369,370,371,372,373,374,375,377,378,379,380,381,382,383,384,385,386,387,388,389,390,392,393,394,395,396,397,398,399,400,401,402,404,405,406,407,408,409,410,411,415,416,417,418,419,420,421,422,423,424,425,427,428,429,430,431,432,433,434,435,437,438,439,440,441,442,443,444,445,446,448,449,450,451,452,453,454,455,456,457,458,459,460,461,462,464,465,466,467,468,469,470,471,472,473,474,475,476,477,478,479,480sort=AscendingsortBy=value 7.http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.POP.DNST?order=wbapi_data_value_2010+wbapi_data_value+wbapi_data_value-lastsort=asc 8. http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ryerson.ca/docview/1346647850 9.http://rierc.org/social/paper174.pdf 10.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html 11. http://asbbs.org/files/2011/JBBS_24.1_Spring_2012.pdf#page=108 12.http://www.indiawaterportal.org/sites/indiawaterportal.org/files/Climate change in India_Forgotten threats, forgotten opportunities_EPW_2010.pdf

Affirmative Action :: essays research papers fc

Imagine a person has hopes of landing their dream job and is applying for a position at a very successful company. They have more than enough qualifications but for some reason do not get the job simply because the company had to hire a woman or minority to satisfy its policy. What policy you may ask, born to the civil rights movement three decades ago, affirmative action calls for minorities and women to be given special consideration in employment and education. Affirmative action is one of the many problems with today’s society and should not be allowed to be used in any situation. This policy is intended to give both parties an equal opportunity to be a successful individual and make it in today’s society. It is morally wrong because the battle for equal rights has been won and favoring members in one group over another is totally unfair. Others see it as the only opportunity for minorities and women to rise up and obtain the same education and career opportunity a s everyone else.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before writing this paper I had not known a lot about what affirmative action meant, but now I can say I strongly disagree with its meaning. I myself had a run in with affirmative action just recently in this past month. One of my close friends received an acceptance letter from the University of Michigan and I couldn’t believe she got in because her score on the ACT test was very low. She also didn’t have very exceptional grades in high school, which meant she could have only gotten in because she was of Hispanic origin. Giving someone more rights and opportunities than others just because of a personal trait is not only unfair but totally defies everything that was fought for in the civil rights movement. Would giving someone an advantage in a situation such as education influence them not to try as hard if they were to have the same opportunity as everyone else? Robin Kelly stated: â€Å"Sadly, I run into many young people who do not have a sense of what is possible, a visi on of what this country could become. Rather, they accept the current arrangements as an immutable given and figure how best to survive within them†(80). Kelly suggests that today’s youth have no intentions of changing the world and only intend to live in it how it is.

The Geology of Seattle

The Geology of Seattle Seattle is located in the state of Washington in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle is metropolitan and has a population of nearly 3. 5 million. Seattle’s climate changes from wet and cold during the winter months to dry and hot during the summer months. The coast of Seattle is responsible for the growth of its economy, due to the large number of commercial ports. Seattle is in the destructive range of several volcanos within Washington, most prominently, Mt. Rainier. Topography Seattle is surrounded by large bodies of water and mountainous terrain.The city itself lies on top of several hills, which include; Capitol Hill, Second Hill, Denny Hill, Beacon Hill, and Queen Anne Hill. From the center of Seattle you can find shoreline to the north, Bainbridge Island to the north-west, The Puget Sound to the west, Vashon Island to the south-west, Tukwila to the south, Renton to the south-east, Lake Mercer to the East, and Lake Forest Park to the north-east. Past th e Puget Sound lie the Olympic Mountains. Seattle owes its specific structure due to glacial scouring and deposition and tectonic activity, subsequently modified by landsliding, stream erosion and deposition, and human activity.Geological hazards Seattle is threatened by several geological hazards, such as earthquakes, flooding, volcanos and landslides and shore erosion. Perhaps one of the most prominent hazards to Seattle is the Massive volcano, MT. Rainier, which lies 54 miles southeast of Seattle. MT. Rainier stands at an elevation of 14,411  feet and is very topographically prominent. Rainier is considered one of the world’s most dangerous volcanos. The composition of Rainier is very andesitic and upon it eruption could cause a violent explosion.The glacial ice that sits atop the mountain can also cause massive lahars that could cause major damage to Seattle’s infrastructure as well as its economy. Although MT. Rainier displays no signs of imminent eruption, it ha s gone through several major eruptions in the past 3000 years. These eruptions include the Twin Creek eruptive episode 1,500 years ago, the Fryingpan Creek eruptive period 1000 year ago, the Electron Mudflow 500 years ago, and several small eruption plumes in the 1800’s which caused black smoke to be seen to the early pioneers of the area.It is projected that the potential damage to Seattle and the surrounding area would be catastrophic if MT. Rainer were to erupt. Geoff Clayton, a geologist working for a company called RH2 Engineering, was asked by Seattle Weekly to estimate the damages to the Settle area. By using a computer program, he reached a conclusion that the result of Mt. Rainer spawning lahars would be a devastating natural disaster. Clayton then quoted that,† Before approaching Seattle, a lahar, he says, would have â€Å"wiped out Enumclaw, Kent, Auburn, and most of Renton, if not all of it. Clayton went on to say that if such a massive lahar could potentia lly cause tsunamis in Lake Washington and the Puget Sound, effectively flooding the port of Seattle. It is needless to say that if Seattle were to lose its commercial ports, the economic consequences would be dire. Another geological hazard that presents itself in Seattle is the risk of Earthquakes. Seattle lies within the ring of fire and is at risk of experiencing a crippling earthquake. The Seattle area has experienced several significant earthquakes in the past.The most recent notable quake was in February 28, 2001 when a magnitude 6. 8 earthquake ravaged Pioneer Square. The quake caused significant property damage but no fatalities. More powerful earthquakes have occurred farther in the past. On  January 26, 1700 the area was struck with a staggering 9. 0 magnitude quake, and on December 14, 1872 Seattle was struck again with a 7. 3 magnitude quake. A few more semi-powerful quakes occurred between 1940 to the present day, however, fatalities were minimal. To predict the poten tial loss cause by another 9. earthquake hitting modern day Seattle, FEMA used â€Å"Hazus† (a computer program used by FEMA) and found that such an earthquake would cause billions of dollars of property damage, thousands of deaths and even more injuries to the population. The aftereffects of the earthquake would be equally devastating. The earthquake would trigger tsunamis form the surrounding water bodies, as well as fires and landslides. Effects such as these would be devastating and would take decades to repair. Seattle has hundreds of miles of waterfront surrounding the city.With such a large amount of water around the city, flooding is a major concern to the residents of Seattle. Although tidal flooding from the Puget Sound and Lake Washington is a concern, the real threat of flooding comes from the system of undeveloped creeks and river that run through the city. These floods most often occur in the fall and winter due to the increased rainfall. Thornton Creek in north west Seattle and Longfellow Creek in west Seattle are two creeks that are notorious for flooding during the winter months.Thornton Creek has caused major water damage urban areas that border the creek when it has flooded in 1967 and again in 2003. Another flood of importance occurred in 2006 when record rainfall caused flash floods that swept through the city during rush-hour. Although the floods in the Seattle are wide spread and intense, they cause few deaths. Landslides are another geological hazard that is common to the Seattle area. Landslides in Seattle can be caused by any number of factors, either natural or manmade. Landslides occur in areas that exhibit clay-sand contact or any other adverse soil and groundwater conditions.Seattle has a large database containing many of the landslides it has experienced since the 1800’s. Using this data, the city has compiled a list of areas that are the most prone to landslides, the list is as follows: Northwest Seattle * Burke-Gil man Trail * Inverness * Laurelhurst * Southwest Magnolia * Southwest Queen Anne * East Queen Anne * Northwest Queen Anne * North Capitol Hill * Lakeview Boulevard * Interlaken * Madrona * Rainier Avenue S. E. * West Beacon Hill (I-5) * West Marginal Way * Alki * Admiral Way * Beach Drive S. W. * 47th Avenue S. W. Seola Beach * Pigeon Point * Cheasty Boulevard S. Here is the corresponding map: The most notable series of landslides in recent history occurred in January of 1997. Over 100 landslides were reported throughout the Seattle area within several days and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. A study showed several factors that contributed to the incident. During the spring of 1997, the Seattle area experienced much more precipitation that usual. A cold spell in the spring caused ice crystals to form and melt in the soil, increasing its porosity.The several day of intense rainfall between late January and early March are what triggered the series subsequent landsl ides. Geologically economic activities Present day Seattle relies in its ports for economic growth, however, in the 1800’s coal was Seattle’s main export. Coal was discovered in the Seattle area in 1833. The development of the railroads in Washington spurred the growth of the coal market. At the time, locomotives primary fuel was coal, and coal required the use of the railways to be exported. The coal market continued to grow in Seattle. In 1918 Seattle was delivering 4. million tons to California each day. The coal market began to fail when locomotives started switching from coal to petroleum and natural gas. Coal mines began to shut down as the demand for coal diminished until the last active coal mine closed down on November 27, 2006. â€Å"Live-ability of Seattle† At a glance, Seattle seems as good as a place as any to live. However, there are several factors to consider for anyone looking to take up residence in the Seattle area. To the human perspective, h azardous geological incidents seem too far and few between to see as a threat.If one were to look at all of the geological disasters in the Seattle area on a geological timescale, they would see just how prone to disasters Seattle is. Approximately every five hundred years Seattle experiences a 9. 0 earthquake. Any seismic activity on that scale would also cause tsunamis to devastate the area. Seattle is also under the constant threat of MT. Rainier erupting and spawning a massive lahar that would destroy downtown Seattle. Seasonal floods are a major threat to the residents of the Seattle regardless of the lengths the city has gone to prevent flood damages.All of these geological hazards are especially dangerous due to the fact that Seattle is a large metropolitan area. With all this in mind, I consider Seattle a dangerous place to live. Bibliography * http://www. seattleweekly. com/2005-10-19/news/the-super-flood. php/ * â€Å"Geological Hazards In Seattle† by Donald W. Tubb s and Thomas Dunne * †Landslides In Seattle† by Donald W. Tubbs Prepared in cooperation with United States Geological Survey 1974 * â€Å"Coal In The Puget Sound Region† HistoryLink. org Essay 5158 * http://www. nps. gov/mora/faqs. htm