Encyclopedia of Volcanoes

By John Stix, Haraldur Sigurðsson, Hazel Rymer, et al.

Book Overview

Volcanoes are unquestionably one of the most spectacular and awe-inspiring features of the physical world. Our paradoxical fascination with them stems from their majestic beauty and powerful, if sometimes deadly, destructiveness. Notwithstanding the tremendous advances in volcanology since ancient times, some of the mystery surrounding volcanic eruptions remains today. The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes summarizes our present knowledge of volcanoes. Through its thematic organization around the melting of the earth, it provides a comprehensive source of information on the multidisciplinary influences of volcanic eruptions--both the destructive as well as the beneficial aspects. The majority of the chapters focus on the geoscience-related aspects of volcanism (radioactive heat source, melting rock, ascent of magma, surface phenomena associated with exiting magma, extraterrestrial volcanism, etc.). In addition, complementary chapters discuss the multidisciplinary aspects of volcanism; these include the history of volcanology, geothermal energy resources, interaction with the oceans and atmosphere, health aspects of volcanism, mitigation of volcanic disasters, post-eruption ecology, and the impact of eruptions on organismal biodiversity. In addition to its appeal to educators, students, and professional and amateur scientists, the Encyclopedia of Volcanoes functions as an important information resource for administrators and officials responsible for developing and implementing volcanic hazard mitigation around the world.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 012643140X
• ISBN13: 9780126431407
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Academic Press
• Length: 1456 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 11.5" x 2.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

...from a student's perspective...

I found this text to be incredibly useful, especially considering the noticable dearth of textbooks dealing with volcanoes. The encyclopedia is comprehensible, yet in depth, and covers a broad range of topics. Whenever I have a volcano question I start here first!

EXCELLENT

An excellent book. Written by some of the worlds most renowed experts-one of whom I am fortunate enough to know! The book is well worth the money as every aspect of volcanology is covered.I would recommend this book to anyone with a serious intest in volcanology.

The King of Volcano References

As a master's student studying volcanology and remote sensing, and a research assistant at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, I can honestly say this is it! From the depths of the mantle on Earth to the dynamic volcanism on Juptier's moon Io, the large team of authors and editors cover every aspect of volcanology possible in this 1,000 + page book. The book is extremely organized, complete with a detailed index, large glossary, and most importantly, references to journal publications. The book also uses high quality images and photos (black and white and in color), as well as scientific graphs, tables, and plots of data when necessary. Despite being written by such a wide array of scientists from all over the world, this encyclopedia is written with both volcanologists and the lay person in mind. This impressive compilation is well worth the price.

The best book I ever read.

This book is the best! There isn't anything that the average person isn't able to understand.This book was written by people that have a passon for what they do and love. My hat is off to DR. Sigurdsson for giveing us this masterpice.