Table of Contents

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsPt. IVolcanoes and Eruptions1Ch. 1Politicians and Volcanoes3A Modern Tragedy: Mount St. Helens7Ch. 2Why Do Volcanoes Erupt?29From the Tiny Molecule, Giants Grow34Volcano Country38Ch. 3Volcanoes and Eruptions41Types of Volcanoes43Volcanic Eruptions48Two Eruption Types53Ch. 4Poseidon and Pluto: Water and Volcanoes65Bikini and the Base Surge69Taal Volcano71Maar Volcanoes and Cinder Cones73A Little-Known Frontier: Volcanic Eruptions under the Sea77Pt. IIThe Hazards of Volcanoes87Ch. 5Volcanic Hurricanes89What Happens inside a Pyroclastic Flow?94What Goes Up Must Come Down95Mount Unzen and Merapi95Firecloud Rock: A Detective Story102Calderas and Pyroclastic Flows105Volcanism after a Caldera Collapse111World War II and the Battle for a Caldera111Ch. 6Falling Volcanoes and Floods of Mud115A Mountain Fell117Debris Avalanches and Slides beneath the Sea123Volcanic Debris Flows (Lahars)123Potential Destruction from Mount Rainier129Ch. 7Lava Flows133Stopping a Lava Flow137Interrupting a Lava Flow139The 1991-1992 Eruption of Mount Etna140Lava Put to Use142A Ride on a Lava Flow144Ch. 8Never Sail through an Eruption Cloud147A Sailing Ship and a Jet149Other Encounters with Ash Clouds153Jetliners155Ash and Aircraft Safety157Ch. 9The Breath of Volcanoes163Effects of Volcanic Gases165The Year without a Summer170Pt. IIIMyths and Benefits of Volcanoes175Ch. 10Sometimes the Gods Are Angry177Volcanoes Assault the Senses179Changing Ideas from Old to New181Thera (Santorini): Its Influence on the Modern World182Volcanoes and the Underworld187Divine Intervention189The Making of a Myth194The Emergence of Volcanology as a Science196Science and Modern Ritual197Ch. 11Volcanoes for Consumers199Skiing and Hot Baths201Construction Materials and Kitty Litter202The Grand Tour211Modern Volcano Tourism214Ch. 12Volcanic Treasures: Steam, Gold, and Diamonds217Steam219Oil and Volcanoes Don't Mix ... or Do They?224Volcanoes and Prospectors' Dreams225Volcanic Gemstones227Ch. 13From Ashes Grow the Vines231The Allure of Volcanoes237Fertility and Rebirth240Recovery from Vulcan's Devastation241Ch. 14Volcanic Rocks: Guardians of History245Volcanic Ash: The Nearly Perfect Preservative247Human Origins in the Ethiopian Rift248Preserving Historic Cultures251Pt. IVLiving near Volcanoes259Ch. 15Mitigation and Survival261Assessing the Hazards: The Pulse of Volcanoes266What Is a Disaster?268The Lesson of Armero272Mount Pinatubo: A Success Story275Volcanologists on the Front Lines279Dante and the Volcano284Appendix 1The Volcano Traveler287Appendix 2Metric Conversion Table312Index313

Promotional Information

Volcanoes: Crucibles of Change provides a vivid treatment of the whole breadth of volcanology, encompassing everything from disastrous eruptions to the volcanic soils that provide fine wines in many parts of the world. This is the best popular book on volcanology available today, written by authors who bring to their text the authority of careers spent at the leading edge of their research field. -- Peter W. Francis, author of "Volcanoes: A Planetary Perspective"

About the Author

Richard V. Fisher is Professor Emeritus of Geological Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Grant Heiken, a volcanologist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, teaches courses in volcanology at the University of New Mexico. Jeffrey B. Hulen is a research geologist at the Energy and Geoscience Institute of the University of Utah.

Reviews

"A vivid, insightful, heavily illustrated book... Most important, Volcanoes is fun. The authors take us on a roller-coaster ride through centuries of volcanic thrills, keeping our attention riveted on the deadly fireworks, while giving us just enough science to deepen our awe."--William J. Broad, The New York Times Book Review "A short course in volcanology offered by a team of scientists who bring both scholarship and something like glee to their work... Abundantly illustrated, always accessible and sometimes downright chatty, Volcanoes is a work of science that has not lost its sense of wonder."--Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times "Volcanoes: Crucibles of Change is written by three respected vulcanologists who, having witnessed several volcanic tragedies, hope to inform and educate people about the wonders, the thrills, and the dangers of volcanoes...[It is an] informative and entertaining book."--Hazel Rymer, The Times Higher Education Supplement "[An] entertaining and informative book that puts volcanoes firmly in their social and cultural place, as well as summarizing the scientific advances that have helped us to understand why and when they erupt... It's a good read, too, written with enthusiasm and expert knowledge, as well as deadpan humour."--Sue Bowler, New Scientist "Volcanoes is a compendium of facts and observations, compellingly and concisely explained."--Richard Fortey, London Review of Books