Volcanoes and earthquakes A guide to our unquiet earth

Each contributing separate chapters, the authors have created a valuable primer on the geology and hazards of volcanoes, earthquakes, and their associated phenomena. Separate bibliographies accompany all but the tectonics chapter. Petrone (Natural History Museum, London), Scandone (National Inst. of Geophysics and Volcanology, Naples), and Whittaker (Imperial College, London) provide examples drawn from throughout geologic time, with an emphasis on recent occurrences. The book is filled with color photographs, maps, and figures, evidently targeting an educated readership. Brief explanations accompany the illustrations, for example of Earth's structure, plate tectonics, types of faults and volcanoes, and how a seismograph works. The text employs scientific terminology whose definitions are often revealed in context. Meanwhile, a reader with no background in these subjects might be slowed. One chapter explores the beneficial role of volcanoes in creating minerals, landscapes, and eventually fertile soils. Petrone discusses the known and hypothesized effects of eruptions on human populations in several locations. She also notes the effects of volcanic activity as represented in various art forms and cultural observances. The book concludes with a discussion of related hazards and the development of pertinent observational and predictive systems to address them. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --Louise S. Zipp, independent scholar

Gr 9 Up--This is a short but dense, scholarly guide to volcanoes and earthquakes. On most pages, attractive images or technical diagrams reinforce the concepts. The title, cover, and format will appeal to many readers. However, the dry, academic language makes this an unfit choice for many young people ("The propagation of seismic P- and S- waves and the effect of discontinuity between the mantle and the outer core"). This book would perhaps be an appropriate textbook for older teens, but only a few would choose it as a pleasure read. VERDICT A rigorously informative book on volcanoes and earthquakes that would better suit a college library.--Mallory Weber, Convent of the Sacred Heart, NY