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Volcano Thought of the Month
For lower forms of
life on Earth, volcanic activity must be of little long-term concern --
eruptions either do or do not destroy them, they may or may not be able to flee
their fates, and life goes on. For human beings, however, our higher awareness
makes volcanic activity of long-term concern, since eruptions can alter our
environment and impact our societies in dramatic ways. Modern science and
technology have revealed that volcanic activity is a manifestation of natural
processes and not the work of gods, and as such is subject to rational
observation and limited control........
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Volcanoes in the News
“The April-June eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland should serve as a warning to Society that volcanoes are very much a part of the natural world, and that their eruptions can have major societal impacts. Although this eruption was a very small one (barely VEI = 2 in magnitude), its ash plume paralyzed European air traffic and had global economic consequences. We need to realize that 40-50 eruptions of this size occur somewhere on the Earth every year, but they mostly occur in remote areas not upwind from population centers, or produce less airborne ash. Much larger eruptions occur infrequently, but will occur in the future. The two largest eruptions of the past century (Katmai-1912 and Mt. Pinatubo-1991) produced enormous quantities of volcanic ash, but their deposits impacted isolated areas – or drifted across empty ocean). Humankind won’t always be so fortunate – increasing populations and complex global economies are highly vulnerable to future eruptions, and volcanology is an increasingly important science....” Read More >
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New Book Available!
 VOLCANOES - Global Perspectives
NOT YET AVAILABLE I'm now back from the (superb!) Cities on Volcanoes meeting on Tenerife, but spent time in the UK meeting with Wiley-Blackwell editors, and am now catching up. Autographed copies (and other volcano stuff) will be available soon at the Hawaiian Volcano Store- my apologies for delay! Sorry for all the missing links here :-( Jack
Volcanoes are essential elements in the delicate global balance of elemental forces that govern both the dynamic evolution of the Earth and the nature of Life itself. Without volcanic activity, life as we know it would not exist on our planet. Although beautiful to behold, volcanoes are also potentially destructive, and understanding their nature is critical to prevent major loss of life in the future. Read More >
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