Volcanoes

Rosi (Univ. of Pisa, Italy) and colleagues have prepared a superb guidebook to the world's volcanoes and volcanic products, which can be used as both a teaching tool and a field reference. The first part presents introductory information on the spatial relations between plate boundaries and plumes and the distribution of volcanoes; characteristics of magma and its products; types of volcanic eruptions; and volcano monitoring in a scientific language that is understandable to nonspecialists. Well-illustrated diagrams and color images provide a great visual aid complementing the text. The second part contains useful information on 100 active volcanoes around the world, describing their geographic and tectonic occurrence, volcanological characteristics, eruption history, and directions on how to reach them. Informative maps, simple geological diagrams, and vivid photographs accompany the text on each volcano. Interested readers can find lists of the world's major volcano observatories and some of the important literature on volcanoes in the bibliography. An excellent, comprehensive source of information on volcanoes and volcanology. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels. Y. Dilek Miami University

Preface Volcanic eruptions, together with earthquakes, are spectacular, violent and often quite dangerous expressions of the internal dynamics of our planet. The distribution of active volcanoes (as well as earthquakes) marks off the boundaries between and among the large rigid plates that form the surface of the Earth and that move into and away from one another. Some times they move away, as in ocean ridges, where frequent undersea eruptions are continuously generating new crust. At other times they converge and collide, one slipping beneath the other, forming cordilleras and island arcs. The nature of magma changes from one geodynamic environment to another and affects the type of eruptive activity, which varies from simple effusions of lava to highly dangerous explosions with clouds of gas dense with fiery fragments. There are places on the Earth where the presence of active volcanoes has a direct effect on the social life and economy of the region. Because of their majestic beauty and the spectacular display of their eruptions, volcanoes can be enormous tourist attractions. The soil near volcanoes is often exceptionally fertile, and in many places such soil has been the reason for centuries upon centuries of flourishing agricultural activity. On the other hand, a volcano can represent a permanent threat to all settlement, to the infrastructures necessary to settled living, to human life itself To live near a volcano requires a certain rational approach that itself requires understanding: knowing the kinds of eruption that can occur, the extent of the area at risk and the necessary measures that must be taken to prevent damage and protect life. Many of the answers to such questions are given in this book. Written and illustrated by highly experienced experts in the field, it uses language that is simple and at the same time thoroughly scientific. It is directed at the general reader interested in knowing more about volcanoes and the Earth sciences; at the university student approaching this fascinating discipline; at the inhabitant of an area exposed to risk from volcanic eruptions. Of particular interest are the pages covering 100 of the active volcanoes of our world, located in all areas of the planet. These fully illustrated pages make this book the first comprehensive encyclopedia of volcanoes ever published. Every entry describes the principal characteristics of the volcano, such as the geodynamic environment that led to its formation, its structure, morphology, the principal types of eruption, the materials erupted, all of it based on references to historically documented events. Also provided for each volcano are directions for reaching the site and information on its most interesting aspects. The book also addresses a theme that is currently of enormous socioeconomic and scientific importance, that of predicting eruptions and the means available to minimize the risks posed by volcanic activity. To predict an eruption one must establish the characteristics (explosiveness, area exposed to danger, sequence of events) and, well before the actual event, analyze the data collected by monitoring systems to reach a determination that an eruption is imminent. To face the threat of volcanic risk requires the advance preparation of emergency plans based on scientifically accurate scenarios of expected phenomena; also necessary is a program to educate the population of the danger. Such elements are part of the scientific and civilian measures necessary to deal with volcanic activity. I hope this book will also find wide use as a teaching tool, most of all in grade schools and high schools, and particularly in those areas where there are active volcanoes. In such places the young should be taught early on an awareness of volcanic activity and an awareness of the danger such activity represents, but without in any way diminishing the fascination that all volcanoes possess. Franco Barberi Excerpted from Volcanoes by Mauro Rosi, Luca Lupi, Paolo Papale, Marco Stoppato All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.