The Control of Nature (book)

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Scars formed by debris flow in greater Los Angeles during the winter of 1968-1969. The photograph was taken within months of the debris flows.

The Control of Nature is a 1989 book by John McPhee that chronicles three attempts (with varying success) to control natural processes. The residents of Heimaey, Iceland saved their harbor by spraying water on the volcanic lava flow threatening to close it off. The Army Corps of Engineers has had less success in controlling flooding along the Mississippi River. The residents of the San Gabriel Mountains have had little success in preventing debris flows from destroying their houses.